MU Continues BIG EAST Play With Road Swing
9/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 20, 2007
Milwaukee - The Marquette University men's soccer team (1-3-1, 0-1-0 BIG EAST) continues this BIG EAST portion of its 2007 campaign with a pair of road matches against Villanova (Sept. 21) and Rutgers (Sept. 23) this weekend.
Friday's 2 p.m. CT contest against the Wildcats (5-1-0, 0-0-0 BIG EAST) will mark the league opener for the home team and features the reigning conference offensive player of the week, Mike Seamon. The sophomore striker collected eight points last weekend, netting a pair of goals against both St. Joseph's and Drexel. VU is receiving votes in the national polls and is ranked fifth in the Northeast Region according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Sunday's match with the Scarlet Knights (1-3-1, 0-0-0 BIG EAST) wraps up the road trip at 1 p.m. CT and marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Rutgers was picked to finish second in its division in the preseason poll and the two teams share one common opponent, UIC (RU earned 0-0 draw). The Scarlet Knights do host Notre Dame Friday night, prior to their matchup with the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles are coming off a tough 1-0 loss to No. 9/8 Notre Dame Sept. 15 at Valley Fields. After allowing an early goal, MU was able to contain the powerful Fighting Irish offensive attack. Two of the team's three losses this season have been one-goal decisions and come against nationally ranked opponents. Marquette fell 3-1 at No. 25 UIC on Sept. 2.
Marquette's lineup under second-year head coach Louis Bennett continues to be dominated by underclassmen learning on the job. Four freshmen are on the field for the opening whistle on a consistent basis and the starting 11 is dominated by first and second-year players, who account for all but two spots. Newcomers have accounted for 75 percent of the team's goals in 2007.