Marquette University Athletics
Men's Soccer Goes West for First Matches
8/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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Aug. 27, 2003
Upcoming Matches
Aug. 29 vs. Denver, Colorado Springs, Colo., 3 p.m. MDT
Aug. 31 at Air Force, Colorado Springs, Colo., noon MDT
The Marquette men's soccer team is heading to the United States Air Force Academy's Cadet Field for the first two contests of the season. Marquette, the 2002 Co-Conference USA Champions, will play against Denver at 3 p.m. (MDT) and will challenge Air Force on Aug. 31 at noon (MDT).
Marquette's roster includes mostly freshmen. The Golden Eagles' depth will be tested at high altitude. While MU's depth may be tested, it has spots filled at forward in last year's leading scorer, senior Derek Gutierrez, and goalkeeper, senior Adam Ubert.
Scouting Denver
Marquette and Denver will be meeting for the first time, essentially in the Pioneers' back yard. Denver is a regular at the Falcon Invitational and is accustomed to playing at the altitude of Colorado Springs.
The Pioneers were 9-12 last season, struggling to a 2-4 finish in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Junior forward Chris Fagnant helped UD finish strong, advancing to the MPSF semifinals with a four goal, one assist year. He is joined by junior midfielder Christian Bowers, who scored three times last year. Lami Harmon returns in goal. He had a 1.61 goals against average.
Scouting Air Force
Like Denver, Marquette and Air Force will be meeting for the first time. Marquette will have little time to recover to deal with the more acclimated Air Force squad.
The Falcons were 8-9-2 last year, finishing with the same 2-4 record in the MPSF as Denver. Like Denver, Air Force won both matches at this tournament a year ago and are adept at playing well at the start of the season at home. Air Force lost its first home match last season on Oct. 20.
The Falcons return a six-goal, seven-assist performer in Marcus Sagastume. A pair of three goal scorers - Daniel Wasson and Colin Earnes - also return.
In The Polls
Marquette opens the year out of the national rankings by both the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Soccer America. The regional rankings for the NSCAA do not come out until the end of the first week of the regular season. Soccer America does not publish regional results.
Defending Champs
Marquette and Saint Louis tied for the regular season Conference USA men's soccer championship last year. The Golden Eagles were tough at home winning six of eight on the year, losing just once at home in C-USA play. Marquette opens its home schedule on Sept. 10 against DePaul.
Tough Schedule
The Marquette men's schedule includes some tough goes. Marquette will meet Saint Louis (11), Wis.-Milwaukee (18) and UAB (ARV) as teams that appear in the preseason NSCAA poll. The Golden Eagles will face Saint Louis (13), Wis.-Milwaukee (15), UAB (20) and USF (25) as teams that appear in the Soccer America preseason poll.
"Unbeaten" String on the Line
According to a change in NCAA rules, Marquette's 1-1 outcome with Cincinnati was recorded as a loss because the Bearcats prevailed in the penalty kick shootout. Counting that match as a tie (under older NCAA rules) would give Marquette an unbeaten string of six dating back to last year. Marquette also suffered a tie to East Carolina, 0-0, but won four others in that span. Marquette hasn't lost a game in regulation or overtime since a 2-0 loss to Wis.-Milwaukee on Oct. 22.
Marquette at Home
Last season, Marquette won its last four matches at home, continuing on its dominance at Valley Fields. For the year, MU was 6-2 at home in 2002. The last time Marquette won fewer than five matches at home in a year was the 2000 season. This year, Marquette has 10 matches at home.
Leaders Return
Seniors Derek Gutierrez (Overland Park, Kan.) and Adam Ubert (Heartland, Wis.) return at key positions for MU in 2003. Gutierrez was MU's top scorer with seven goals and 17 points. Ubert played every minute in net and recorded a 1.12 goals against average.
Freshman Orientation
Marquette will have to have a quick learning curve in 2003. The Golden Eagles have more than half of their roster as freshmen. Of the 27-man squad, 14 are in their first year in a Golden Eagle uniform.
C-USA Predictions
Marquette was predicted to finish sixth in the league by the 10 Conference USA coaches. Saint Louis was predicted to be the league's preseason favorite. UAB, Cincinnati, Louisville and USF were picked ahead of Marquette.
Preseason All C-USA Selection
Marquette forward Derek Gutierrez (Overland Park, Kan.) was selected to the preseason All-Conference USA team. Gutierrez has 17 career goals and has been selected to the second team all-league postseason squad as a junior.
