Golden Eagles Travel To Face Pittsburgh
10/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 8, 2010
PITTSBURGH -- Marquette University (4-3-3, 1-0-1 BIG EAST) returns to divisional play Saturday as the Golden Eagles men's soccer team travels to Pittsburgh. Kickoff against the Panthers (5-4-1, 0-1-1 BIG EAST) is set for Noon CT at Founders Field in Indianola, Pa. Live stats will be available.
MU is coming off a 2-0 win over Wright State in its final non-conference match of the 2010 season and looks to extend its current five-game unbeaten streak on Saturday. It's the longest unbeaten streak for the Golden Eagles since the 2002 campaign and second-longest active streak in the BIG EAST Conference.
Head coach Louis Bennett's squad has outscored its opponents by a margin of 6-2 in its last five matches. Meanwhile, the Panthers have lost two straight -- including four of their last six -- after starting out the season with a 4-0 record.
Marquette defeated Pittsburgh 5-0 last year at Valley Fields, led by Chris Madsen who tallied seven points on an assist and three goals scored. Pitt leads the all-time series with a 4-1 mark.
KEY STORYLINES
- Saturday's match at Pittsburgh will mark the second divisional game and third contest this season against a BIG EAST opponent for the Golden Eagles who are 1-0-1 in league play.
- MU's five-match unbeaten streak coming into Saturday's game is the longest such streak for the program since the 2002 season and is currently the second longest unbeaten streak in the BIG EAST behind Louisville (nine-game unbeaten streak).
- The Golden Eagles have outscored their opponents 6-2 in their last five matches and boast an overall record of 3-0-2 during that span.
- MU is coming off a 2-0 win over Wright State in the squad's final non-conference match of the campaign ... It was GK David Check's fifth shutout and second multi-goal game for the Golden Eagles this season.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
- Pittsburgh is looking for its first BIG EAST win after struggling as of late ... The Panthers are coming off a 2-0 loss at Cleveland State ... They has dropped four of their last six games after opening the season with a 4-0 record.
- Alex Bettencourt leads the Panthers offensively with seven points on an assist and team-high three goals ... Bettencourt has taken just 12 shots in 10 games played, including nine shots on goal.
- GK Hami Kara owns a 5-3-1 record in the net ... He has allowed nine goals in nine matches with a 26 saves, five shutouts and a 0.96 goals against average.
SERIES HISTORY
- Marquette is 1-4 all-time against the Panthers ... MU's lone win came last year in the regular season finale at Valley Fields where the Golden Eagles defeated Pittsburgh 5-0 led by Chris Madsen's hat trick ... It was the largest margin of victory for MU since the 2003 season and secured the program's first-ever berth into the BIG EAST tournament.
BENNETT EARNS 150TH CAREER WIN
- Head coach Louis Bennett picked up his 150th career coaching victory on Oct. 6, 2010, with a 2-0 shutout vs. Wright State at Valley Fields ... Bennett, who is in his fifth season at Marquette, accumulated 136 wins in 10 previous seasons as head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
KEEPING OPPONENTS IN CHECK
- Sophomore goalkeeper David Check ranked 11th in NCAA Division I in save percentage (.884) and 18th overall with a 0.57 goals against average entering this week.
- Check picked up his fifth shutout of the season vs. Wright State (Oct. 6) ... It was his fifth career shutout in 10 collegiate games played.
- Check became the first player since 2004 to earn BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week two consecutive weeks (Oct. 4 and Sept. 27).
- He posted his fourth shutout of the season with a 1-0 victory over in-state rival Wisconsin (Sept. 28) and followed that performance with 1-1 draw against No. 3/4 Connecticut (Oct. 1), in which he made a career high nine saves, to earn BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week for the second straight week on Oct. 4.
- Check picked up his third shutout of the season at Rutgers (Sept. 24) and was selected as BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week on Monday, Sept. 27 ... He faced 18 shots in the match vs. RU and made six saves.
