Men's Soccer Hosts DePaul on Senior Night

MILWAUKEE -- The Golden Eagles clinched their first BIG EAST championship berth since 2014 with a 2-1 road victory against Butler on Sunday. Marquette sits in fourth place in the league standings heading into Wednesday's Senior Night game and regular season finale against seventh-place DePaul. A win and the Golden Eagles secure a first-round home game on Saturday.

Goals by Diego Núñez (30') and Josh Coan (37') provided the scoring in a 2-1 victory at Butler on Sunday, but it was the inspiring defensive play in the second half that captured the tournament-clinching win. Leading 2-0 in the 47th minute, Luis Barraza was issued a red card and sent off after sacrificing himself as the last defender on a broken defensive play. Cedrik Stern and the defensive unit, a man down, then went the final 43:13 without allowing a goal, despite 12 Butler shots.

Marquette now face a DePaul squad fighting for its tournament life as a win would still keep them in tournament contention, barring a Xavier loss. The Blue Demons have never won at Valley Fields.

The Golden Eagles await their BIG EAST Quarterfinal opponent, which will be either St. John's or Xavier, with Wednesday's results set to determine opponent and location on Saturday, Nov. 3.

OPPONENT FORM
DEPAUL (5-8-3, 2-4-2 BIG EAST)
Under new head coach Mark Plotkin, DePaul has matched last season's win total with three fewer losses to this point and remains in contention for the final spot in the BIG EAST Championship with a win and a Xavier loss. The Blue Demons are winless in eight of their last nine games with the lone win at Xavier. Their other league win came in the BIG EAST opener at home against Providence.

Istvan Wilhelms leads the way with five goals, while Zach El-Shafei has three goals and an assist. Drew Nuelle has played every minute in goal this year with a 1.17 GAA and a .770 save percentage.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
ALL-TIME SERIES: Marquette and DePaul meet for the 33rd time on Wednesday. The Golden Eagles own a commanding lead in the all-time series, 25-6-1, and went unbeaten from 1982-2003. However, the past six meetings have alternated to each side, all going to the home team, and DePaul earned victories in the three matchups prior to that (twice in overtime).

This year marks the sixth-consecutive season that both teams will meet in the BIG EAST regular season finale. Last year, the Blue Demons stunned the Golden Eagles with a 3-1 home victory and denied Marquette a spot in the postseason. This year, the favor could be returned. In the last three meetings in Milwaukee, the Golden Eagles have registered three shutout victories, outscoring DePaul, 10-0.

UNDER-MANNED, OVER-DELIVERED: Luis Barraza suffered the unfortunate fate of a red card and ejection early in the second half of Marquette's 2-1 victory over Butler on Sunday. It left the Golden Eagles vulnerable for the final 43:13 of the game, but the defense prevailed. It was the second time this season the back line was left in a man-down scenario after Alan Salmeron's ejection in a 0-0 draw against Georgetown back on Sept. 29. The Golden Eagles, when being a man-down this season, have not allowed a goal in the run of play for a combined 91:30.

POST-SEASON PUSH: The last time Marquette qualified for the BIG EAST Championship was on the final day of the regular season back on Nov. 7, 2014, a 4-0 victory over DePaul at home. The win on Senior Night was enough to propel the Golden Eagles into the tournament field, where they fell to then-No. 3 seeded Georgetown in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals, 2-1.

BIG EAST WEEKLY WINNERS: Junior Patrick Seagrist nabbed BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this year, while classmate Josh Coan earned a spot on the honor roll.

Seagrist was part of the defensive unit that conceded just one goal to Butler on Sunday, a penalty kick, while playing the final 43-plus minutes a man-down to help clinch a berth into the BIG EAST Championship. Seagrist assisted on Coan's eventual game-winner in the 37th minute. Coan collected three points on the week, providing an assist on Leo Villa's goal in a 2-1 loss to Creighton.

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.