Men's Soccer Battles Butler Sunday in Indianapolis

MILWAUKEE -- The Golden Eagles came up short against No. 19 Creighton on Wednesday, but maintained fourth place in the BIG EAST standings with a chance to clinch their first league tournament berth since 2014 with a win at Butler on Sunday.

Leo Villa connected with his first goal in a Marquette uniform when he headed in a brilliant free kick from Josh Coan in the 80th minute. That tied the game at 1-1, but it was a short-lived celebration as Creighton retook the lead for good just 34 seconds later. Despite the setback, it marked the third-straight game with at least one goal scored for Marquette, which ties a season-high.

A lot has changed since the league's head coaches voted Butler as the preseason favorite to win the BIG EAST. The Bulldogs enter Sunday's tilt next-to-last in the standings with a record of 4-10-2, 2-5-0 in the BIG EAST, but, with two victories, could still sneak into the BIG EAST tourney.

Following Sunday's match, Marquette returns home for Senior Night and the regular season finale vs. DePaul on Halloween. Both teams currently reside among the league's top-six teams, which means a lot could be at stake come match day.

OPPONENT FORM
BUTLER (4-10-2, 2-5-0 BIG EAST)
The Bulldogs are in ninth place in the league with six points and dropped the fourth game in their last six tries, including their fifth BIG EAST loss of the year, to Seton Hall last time out. Logan Lee scored his third conference goal in the 4th minute before SHU answered back with two unanswered second-half goals to stun the Bulldogs, 2-1.

Last year's BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Brandon Guhl, leads the team with 16 points on six goals and four assists, while Gabriel Gjergji sports a 1.93 GAA and a .630 save percentage in net.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
ALL-TIME SERIES: Marquette and Butler meet for the 10th time in the series with the Bulldogs entering Sunday with a 5-4 all-time lead and four-straight victories. The previous Golden Eagle win in the series came back on Nov. 15, 2013 in the BIG EAST semifinal when Adam Lysak's 98th minute goal sent Marquette to the league championship game and, eventually, the BIG EAST title.

Last year, goals from Joe Moulden and Brandon Guhl came 41 seconds apart in the first 2 minutes of the second half at Valley Fields. It was all the then-21st-ranked Bulldogs needed as Connor Alba's 72nd minute goal wasn't enough despite a 21-10 shots advantage and 10 landing on target. Back in 2016, the last time Marquette was in Indianapolis, Diego Núñez converted a turnover into a 1-0 MU lead in the 6th before then-No. 15 Butler responded with two unanswered goals to come away with the 2-1 victory.

VINTAGE LUKA PRPA: The junior midfielder and co-captain of the Golden Eagles is having a season reminiscent of his 26-point freshman campaign, tallying back-to-back four-point efforts resulting in back-to-back BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week awards. His three-match points streak came to an end at Creighton on Wednesday, but he continues to lead the team with 13 points on four goals and five assists (most in the BIG EAST). College Soccer News, this week, named Prpa to their Team of the Week, while TopDrawerSoccer placed him on their Team of the Week honorable mention list.

COMEBACK KIDS: Marquette recorded its first come-from-behind win after overcoming a sixth minute Xavier goal to win 2-1 at home on Saturday. It was the type of team-building victory head coach Louis Bennett was looking for and the first comeback win for his squad since Sept. 2, 2016 when they knocked off UIC on the road, 4-1, after going down 1-0 in the first minute of the game.

BARRAZA HAVING HISTORIC SEASON: Senior goalkeeper Luis Barraza has been honored by the BIG EAST four times this season after earning a second Goalkeeper of the Week honor on Oct. 15. He has four shutouts this season and sports a career-best 0.89 GAA. The Santa Teresa, New Mexico, native also leads the BIG EAST and ranks fourth in the nation in save percentage (.848).

WINNING IN THE CLASSROOM: For the 10th-straight year, Marquette was recognized by the United Soccer Coaches with the Team Academic Award. Each year, the organization honors college programs for their exemplary performance in the classroom that meet or exceed a 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). The Golden Eagles posted a 3.17 GPA during the 2017-18 academic year.

MARQUETTE PAYS TRIBUTE TO STEVE ADLARD: Marquette's winningest coach in program history, Steve Adlard, passed away in his sleep on Tuesday, Sept. 18, succumbing to his long battle with cancer. He guided the Golden Eagles to 140 victories in 14 seasons (1992-2005) and a pair of Conference USA regular season titles, including the 1997 team that earned the first NCAA tournament berth in program history. He was named the Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year in 1993.

Steve was instrumental in making Valley Fields what it is today and was instrumental in establishing the Marquette women's soccer program. He even recruited the first class to take the field in 1993. Steve was more than just a coach on the field. He was a mentor to many individuals and a gifted teacher of this beautiful game. He will be missed. May he rest in peace.

Marquette will honor Coach Adlard by wearing a black armband for the remainder of the season.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR: Head coach Louis Bennett and his staff continue to attract talent from all over the world as evidenced by the host of international representation on the roster. This year's roster features players from England, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden, as well as eight different states. The flags of all nation's represented by this year's roster are displayed behind both team benches during home matches at Valley Fields.