Villa Scores Late, But No. 19 Creighton Prevails, 2-1

OMAHA, Neb. – Junior center back Leo Villa connected in the 80th minute off a Josh Coan free kick for his first goal of the season, but No. 19 Creighton answered back 30 seconds later to prevail, 2-1, in a BIG EAST Conference showdown at Morrison Stadium on Wednesday.

The Golden Eagles (5-8-1, 3-3-1 BIG EAST) generated numerous chances in the second half, but were unable to get more than the Villa goal in the 80th minute. The Bluejays (10-3-1, 6-0-1 BIG EAST) maintain their first-place lead in the conference and continue their stretch of not allowing opponents more than a single goal in any game this season.

Creighton, nearly unbeatable on its home turf, showed vulnerability late in this one. After losing the edge in first-half shots (12-3) and corners (3-0), the Golden Eagles played even or better than the 'Jays in the second half by holding a 4-2 edge in corners and surrendering a slim 5-4 margin in shots.

Coan played a solid game on the left wing, winning possession and sending dangerous crossing attempts to the back post on numerous occasions. A cross to Diego Núñez to close out the second half nearly leveled the score after 45 minutes.

CHANCE! Equalizer proves elusive in the waning seconds of the first half as Diego Núñez can't quite catch up to @jcoan98's cross at the back post. Golden Eagles trail the 19th-ranked Bluejays, 1-0, after 45 minutes. pic.twitter.com/ey6ecjZz9k
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 25, 2018

He finally made one count in the 80th when his free kick was precise to the head of Villa, who tied the game with just 10:35 left on the clock.

It was short-lived, but check out the elation after @Leoskieee920 puts in this brilliant header off a spectacular @jcoan98 free kick to level the score in the 80th minute. #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/e6L1fbjEM8
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 25, 2018

However, just 34 seconds later, the league's leading goal scorer, Sven Koenig, capitalized on a Golden Eagle as he took a Joel Rydstrand drop pass and deposited into the left side netting. It was his eighth goal of the season and put the Bluejays on top for good.

Despite the loss, Marquette maintains sole possession of fourth place in the league standings and is in control its own destiny toward clinching its first BIG EAST tournament berth in four seasons.

The Golden Eagles now look ahead to Sunday when they travel to Indianapolis for the regular season road finale against Butler. The Bulldogs surrendered two second-half goals in a 2-1 loss to Seton Hall on Wednesday, but are still fighting for one of the six BIG EAST tournament spots with two games remaining. Kickoff is slated for noon Central time.

Keep up with the Marquette men's soccer program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteSoccer) and Instagram (@MarquetteSoccer) and `liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteSoccer).

Comments from @Loobe21 after suffering a hard fought 2-1 defeat to #19, top of the #BeFútbol table, Creighton in Omaha. pic.twitter.com/tPBGbJ7hPT
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 25, 2018