Marquette University
BYU
Golden Eagles defeat Cougars 1-0
9/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 6, 2008
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Marquette Golden Eagles (4-1) pulled together to tally a 1-0 overtime victory in a hard-fought battle against the Brigham Young Cougars (3-3) Saturday night at Valley Fields.
The two teams were virtually even in almost every statistical category throughout the game until sophomore forward Rosie Malone-Povolny hit a game winning shot in the 99th minute of play, securing the victory for the Golden Eagles.
Kelly Wepking initiated the downfield drive moving the ball forward to Danelle Martens. Martens crossed the ball from the left wing to the center of the box, drawing the BYU goalkeeper from the net, allowing Malone-Povolny to finish for the game winner.
"Danielle came up with a great move with Rosie on the end of that ball, it was terrific. I can't tell you how elated and proud I am to beat a very good team," said Marquette head coach Markus Roeders.
The Golden Eagles overcame a lackluster start where BYU launched five shots, one on goal, in the first half. Senior defender Shannon Cusick made a crucial save inside the box during a BYU possession that drew freshman goal keeper Natalie Kulla from the net during the third minute of play.
"We didn't start the game off well in the first half, but we really settled ourselves down at halftime and from the second half off played a much better game," Roeders said. "Once again it was our belief of being able to win a tight game against a very good opponent."
The Golden Eagle defense was stout during the second half of play against a relentless BYU offense. Kulla made a pivotal save in the 58th minute of play, punching out a driving BYU free kick by Andrea Willis. BYU forward Kassidy Christenson managed to get a head on the ball, but the shot soared over the top of the net.
"I thought they put pressure on us and we didn't do a good job of settling the ball down," Roeders said. "They stretched the field because they play a mix of direct and possession soccer. Their frontrunners constantly looked to get in behind us so that's why we got stretched. It took us awhile to solve that but I thought our back line was absolutely fantastic. Katie Kelly settled down in the second half. Alli McBride Shannon Cusick, they were awesome and Natalie did her part. She (Kulla) got a clean sheet and we can't ask for more."
Marquette got a golden opportunity when a shot by Malone-Povolny was deflected during the 84th minute of action resulting in a corner kick. The Golden Eagles, however, were unable to capitalize, leaving the game scoreless at the end of regulation.
"This is the third game we've won in overtime and it shows the character of our squad," Roeders said about the victory. "It wasn't a perfect match today but I think a lot of that is based on the opponent. We're elated to win and couldn't be more proud of our squad."
The Golden Eagles return to action on September 12 against South Carolina at the Auburn Classic in Auburn, Alabama.
