Golden Eagles Play at Pepperdine to Open 2009 Season

Aug. 21, 2009

MILWAUKEE -

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The Marquette women's soccer team officially opens 2009 season when it travels to Malibu, Calif., to play Pepperdine at 5 p.m. CT/3 p.m. PT, on Sunday, Aug. 23.

The Golden Eagles are 8-6-2 all-time in season openers and 8-4-1 under head coach Markus Roeders, who returns to the helm for his 14th season. The Golden Eagles have won their last four season openers with wins over No. 13 Illinois (1-0) in 2005, Bowling Green (3-0) in 2006, Washington (2-0) in 2007 and Loyola (1-0) in 2008. Sunday's contest at Pepperdine will mark the first time since the 1999 season Marquette has opened the season on the road. The two teams played to a scoreless double overtime draw in Milwaukee last season in the two teams one and only meeting.

"We tend not to compare too much from year-to-year, but Pepperdine will be a challenge. Our game last year was very competitive and we don't expect anything less," said Roeders. "Just like our home, Valley Fields, Pepperdine enjoys a great home field advantage - and it isn't just because of the view of the Pacific Ocean. We are ready to play another squad and hopefully we can build on our performance from the exhibition game (against Wisconsin). The team learned and got better this week in training, which is one of our goals - learning and getting better every day we step on the field."

Marquette, who was selected to finish third in the BIG EAST American Division, looks to have one of its most experienced squads in program history as it welcomes back 22 letterwinners and eight starters from a season ago finished 11-8-3 overall and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Junior forward Ashley Bares is the top returning scorer after leading MU with 12 points on five goals and two assists, followed by junior Julia Victor and sophomore Danielle Martens who each tallied three goals and two assists. The Golden Eagles return 12 additional players who tallied at least a point in 2008. Eight newcomers join the squad in 2009. In preseason polls released this week, Marquette is receiving votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.

In goal, Marquette will have two veterans between the pipes as sophomore Natalie Kulla and senior Chelsey Turner split time last season and are both back for 2009. Kulla totaled over 1,477 minutes in net while compiling a 9-5-2 overall mark, six shutouts and a 0.79 goals against average. Turner made five starts while seeing action in nine games. She earned a 2-3-1 overall record, one shutout and a 0.86 goals against average. The duo combined to help Marquette post nine shutouts in 2008.

The Golden Eagles recently concluded a successful yet demanding preseason training camp at Camp Whitcomb in Merton, Wis. Roeders is confident the strong bond the team has formed will equate to success on the field throughout the season. In its lone exhibition match of the season, Marquette tied Wisconsin, 2-2, last Saturday in Madison. Ashley Bares was credited for both of MU's goals against the Badgers.

"Preseason has been excellent and the team is responded very well to the training and challenges. I don't think we could have asked much more of them. We only had a couple of weeks to get ready for our first match, so the information we covered and the mental and physical demands we put them through while they built a strong team bond, they have mastered. This group of young women has a uniqueness that we hope will translate to success on the field throughout the season. When you spend nearly 24 hours a day together for close to 12 days, you go through some highs and lows but the lows were far and few between. We are ready to play, and heading out to California will be a great opportunity to kick off the season. We haven't made this type of trip to start the season in quite a while, so there is an extra level of excitement to it," said Roeders.

Pepperdine is picked to finish fourth in the West Coast Conference after a third place conference finish in 2008. The Waves return six starters from a 9-9-2 season, and add 11 newcomers. All-WCC preseason selection Laura Cole returns as the team's top scorer, with 14 points last season.