Marquette University Athletics
Men's Soccer Travels To No. 20 Louisville, Cincinnati
9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 25, 2008
Game Day Links:
Game Notes vs. Louisville (PDF)
Live Audio: None
MILWAUKEE -- The Marquette men's soccer team embarks on a two-game, weekend road swing beginning this Friday at Louisville, followed by a matinee Sunday at Cincinnati. The Golden Eagles (1-3-2, 0-3-0 BIG EAST) look to pick up their first BIG EAST win of the season against the Cardinals (6-1-1, 1-1-0 BIG EAST), who are ranked No. 20, according to the latest NSCAA/adidas poll, and have yet to lose on their home pitch in four tries this season. Friday's kick off is slated for 6 p.m. CT.
Series History
Marquette owns a 8-4-1 all-time record against the Cardinals. Louisville has won three of the last five meetings, including two straight shutouts. The Cardinals claimed a 2-0 victory in Milwaukee last season and cruised to a 4-0 decision the last time the two teams met at Cardinal Park back in 2006. The Golden Eagles are 4-2 all-time in Louisville, but have lost their last two matches on UofL's home pitch and have not won there since 2001.
Scouting The Opponent
Louisville has more than doubled its opponents' shots on goal, owning a 51-24 advantage through eight games. Its 15.88 shots per game ranks second in the BIG EAST. The Cardinals only loss was at No. 7 UConn where they fell to the Huskies, 1-0. Their lone no-decision this season was a 1-1 draw to Northeastern in the season opener. The Cardinals have gone 3-1 against ranked opponents this season, registering wins against No. 23 UC Davis, No. 21 New Mexico and No. 20 Providence. Ken Lolla is 22-18-8 in his third season as head coach of the Cardinals. Louisville was picked to finish second behind USF in the Red Division, according to the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. They return 10 starters from last year's squad that finished 11-7-4 overall and placed second in the division with a 6-3-2 record in league play.
Offensive Production Up, But Lacking Results
Through its first six contests, Marquette has out-shot its opponents 79-53 and likewise leads the shots-on-goal margin 36-22. However, the opponents' seven goals is two more than the Golden Eagles have tallied. Coach Bennett is pleased with the increased production in front of the net, but has continued to put emphasis on finishing. Its a slightly different story from a season ago, as Marquette had only registered 60 shots total in the team's first six contests.
Running the Gauntlet
Marquette will the gauntlet in 2008 by going head-to-head with seven teams currently ranked in the top 25*. Three of those matches are against teams (#3 Notre Dame, #4 St. John's, #5 Connecticut) that are currently ranked among the top five. Seven matches would be the most matches against ranked teams the Golden Eagles have ever had to face in a season (since records against ranked opponents were first recorded, at least as early as 1991). On record, No. 11 USF was the highest ranked team the Golden Eagles have beaten, a 1-0 shutout in Tampa back in 2004. The last ranked opponent MU defeated was No. 23 Penn State, 1-0, in 2005.
Looking Ahead
Marquette's first win as a member of the BIG EAST Conference was last year's 2-1 double-overtime victory against Cincinnati at Valley Fields. MU owns a 12-11-2 all-time record against the Bearcats. Marquette is 3-6 all-time in Cincinnati. The last time the Golden Eagles won there was the 2004 season, snapping a four-game losing streak on the Bearcats' home pitch. Cincinnati returns five starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's team that placed fifth in the Red Division with a league mark of 5-5-1. The Bearcats finished with a 9-10-1 overall record. Still searching for its first BIG EAST victory of the 2008 campaign, Cincinnati is currently 2-3-2 heading into Friday's home match against No. 3 Notre Dame.
