Marquette University Athletics
Men's Soccer Hosts Wright State at the Valley
10/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 6, 2003
Upcoming Matches
Oct. 7 vs. Wright State, Valley Fields, 7 p.m.
Marquette and Wright State meet in a non-conference men's soccer match on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The contest pits two rising teams meeting in what's turning out to be a pivotal match for regional ranking position.
The Golden Eagles are finishing up a short two match home span. The Golden Eagles have four home matches remaining after this, including a pair of C-USA contests. Marquette sits in first-place in Conference USA and will be looking to secure its home field as it attempts to repeat as league champions.
Scouting Wright State
Wright State comes into the Marquette contest with an impressive 7-2 slate. The Raiders were an stable 8-9-1, but have made some serious strides toward a winning season. Wright State had a six match winning streak stopped by Dayton two matches ago. The Raiders posted lofty totals of seven, four and two threes on their opponents during that stretch.
The offense has provided 25 goals this year. Three players own three or more scores. Chris Reilly and Ricky Strong each have three. Paul-Anthony Perez leads the squad with six strikes on the year. Jason Balach has played every minute in goal, owning a 1.22 goals against average.
Series History
Marquette leads, 2-0.
Marquette won last year, 4-2, in Dayton.
In The Polls
UCLA holds the top spot in both in the NSCAA top 25. The Golden Eagles are still awaiting their first mention in any regional ranking this season. Marquette has had its share of foes now ranked. Washington sits in the no. 5 spot while Oakland is ranked 25th. UAB is up to no. 21 and Saint Louis is ranked fifth. Notre Dame holds the top spot in the NSCAA Great Lakes region.
Atop the Conference
Five games into the Conference USA season, Marquette has returned to the top of the league slate. The Golden Eagles have survived what would, according to the preseason coaches' poll, be the toughest part of their schedule. Having played USF, UAB and Saint Louis - teams picked in the top three of the league heading in - Marquette is 3-1-1 and has 10 points to start the C-USA slate.
Kohlmeyer Saves Best For Last
Sophomore midfielder Blair Kohlmeyer (Newburg, Ind.) has a penchant for scoring at the right time this season. Of Marquette's four wins, Kohlmyeyer has three of the match winners. He has five tallies on the year to tie for the team lead.
Golden Eagles Open Up Offensive Flood Gates
After struggling to find the goal in the first four matches, Marquette found its offense against DePaul. Marquette tallied four strikes, including a pair by sophomore midfielder Blair Kohlmeyer (Newburgh, Ind.). Marquette scored four twice last season, with the last being on Oct. 5 against TCU. Since opening the season with three goals in four matches, Marquette has scored nine in its next five outings.
Offense Goes Through Gutierrez ... Or Does It?
While Marquette averages a respectable 1.43 goals per match, its leading scorer from 2002 is still awaiting his first strike of the year. Derek Gutierrez, a career 17-goal scorer, has never had fewer than five goals per year in his Marquette career. Ten matches into the season, Gutierrez has yet to score. He has been a contributor to the offense, however, recording a team-best four assists.
Defense Finds its Ways As Well
Like the offense, the Marquette defense has seen a 180-degree turnaround after the season's beginning. After giving up 14 goals in a three match span, a shuffle on the back line garnered some positive results. Marquette earned a pair of shutouts, blanking DePaul, 4-0, and Evansville, 1-0. MU's last multiple shutout string came at the end of last year when it blanked East Carolina, DePaul and Wisconsin to finish the regular season. The Golden Eagles also blanked Saint Louis, then no. 7, in a 0-0 tie for the third shutout of the year.
Ubert Named Player-of-the-Week
Senior goalkeeper Adam Ubert (Heartland, Wis.) was named Conference USA Co-Defensive-Player-of-the-Week, for the week ending September 14. Ubert was crucial in Marquette's return to .500. Ubert blanked DePaul, 4-0, and Evansville, 1-0, during the week to help the Golden Eagles improve to 3-3 on the year.
Lee Back on Pace
Junior midfielder Chris Lee (Lenexa, Kan.) has become a proficient striker yet again. He has five goals, one higher than his total a year ago. He set a career high with seven his freshman year.
