MU Wraps Up Regular Season At Georgetown
10/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 31, 2008
Game Day Links:
Game Notes vs. Georgetown (PDF)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Marquette will play its final contest of the 2008 regular season Saturday at Georgetown. Kick-off against the Hoyas is set for 11 a.m. CT at North Kehoe Field. Georgetown climbed back into the national rankings this week (No. 23, Soccer America) with back-to-back 1-0 wins at Pittsburgh and against West Virginia. The Hoyas have only allowed nine goals this season, including 10 shutouts.
Key Storylines
Marquette was eliminated from postseason contention with last Wednesday's 2-0 loss at West Virginia. Saturday's match is the final regular season contest for the Golden Eagles, while the Georgetown has already secured a berth in the 2008 BIG EAST Championship. MU is looking to build for the future by using Saturday's match with the Hoyas as a means to continue assessing its current talent and, with a win, add some positive momentum going into the off-season, possibly playing the role of spoiler for GU, which is still battling for a one of two first-round byes among the Blue Division.
Series History
Georgetown is undefeated its three matches against the Golden Eagles, owning a 3-0-0 advantage in the all-time series with MU. This is Marquette's second-ever trip to the nation's capital and North Kehoe Field. The two teams first met in 2005, Marquette's first year as a member of the BIG EAST Conference. Georgetown defeated MU by a final tally of 1-0 in Milwaukee that season, and again by the same margin in Washington, D.C. the following year. Last season, Dan Addis netted the equalizer to tie the game at 1-1 moments into the second half, but an own goal in the 69th minute eventually cost MU a result against the visiting Hoyas.
Last Time Out
Marquette suffered a 2-0 loss on the road at West Virginia this past Wednesday. Despite out-shooting the Mountaineers 6-5 in the first period, WVU capitalized on a near-post cross in the 16th minute to jump out to an early 1-0 lead. Marquette, which only registered one shot on goal during the match, surrendered a late goal in the 83rd minute, which all but sealed the Golden Eagles' fate.
About the Hoyas
Georgetown climbed back into the national rankings this week (No. 23, Soccer America) with back-to-back 1-0 wins at Pittsburgh and against West Virginia. The Hoyas clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Championship with their result over the Mountaineers, and can still claim one of the two first-round byes among the Blue Division teams still battling for position in the postseason tournament. Scott Larrabee was named the BIG EAST's Offensive Player of the Week for scoring the game-winner against WVU, but the Hoyas are led offensively by Peter Grasso, who has netted six goals. Georgetown also boasts a stingy defense. The Hoyas have only allowed nine goals thus far and have recorded 10 shutouts.
Close, But No Cigar
Six of Marquette's nine losses this season have been 1-0 setbacks (Syracuse, St. John's, URIC, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin and Connecticut). The Golden Eagles were victims of eight losses decided by a single goal in 2007, including three consecutive 1-0 setbacks to open BIG EAST play.
Experience On The Back Line
Junior defender Billy Von Rueden has played in 51 of a possible 52 collegiate matches during his tenure at Marquette, ranking him second on the team behind Dan Addis (52) in matches played among active players. Von Rueden is also expected to make his team-high 39th consecutive start Saturday at Georgetown.
In The Record Books
Junior goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski ranks among Marquette's all-time leaders in several career statistical categories. Pyzdrowski currently ranks eighth in saves (142) and seventh in goals against average (1.38). Additionally, he has served a total 3,708 minutes between the posts, which ranks sixth in the Golden Eagles record books. Pyzdrowski's 0.94 goals against average through 15 games this season is the third lowest average in school history.
Unforgiving Schedule
Nine of Marquette's 17 opponents this season were, or are currently, ranked in the top 25 in the NSCAA/adidas national rankings at one point. Three of those matches have been against top-10 teams (Notre Dame, St. John's, and UIC). No. 20/20 UConn was fifth nationally ranked program the Golden Eagles will have faced this season, the most-ever by an MU squad.
