Marquette Soccer to Face Top-Seeded Creighton in BIG EAST Semifinals

MILWAUKEE -- Following their epic first round game against Xavier, the fourth-seeded Golden Eagles are now heading to top-seeded Creighton with a trip to the BIG EAST Championship game on the line.

Marquette outlasted fifth-seeded Xavier on Saturday at Valley Fields, winning in penalties, 7-6, after playing 110 minutes to a 2-2 draw. Following his successful ninth-round conversion, Leo Villa sent the Golden Eagles back to the BIG EAST Championship semifinals for the first time since 2013.

Creighton, which earned a first-round bye after securing the regular season BIG EAST title, defeated Marquette just two weeks prior to their semifinal match-up. It was Villa, then, who tied it in the 80th minute before Sven Koenig scored the eventual match-winner 34 seconds later. Wednesday marks the first-ever tournament meeting between Marquette and Creighton.

The winner of Wednesday's semifinal advances to the BIG EAST final on Nov. 11 (FS2) against the winner of second-seeded Georgetown and third-seeded Providence.

OPPONENT FORM
CREIGHTON (11-4-2, 7-1-1 BIG EAST)
Creighton breezed through the regular season, going 7-1-1 in BIG EAST play and earning its first BIG EAST regular season title since 2014. The Bluejays lone loss during league play came in the finale, falling in overtime, 2-1, to Georgetown. Creighton tied with Providence for the league in fewest goals allowed (6) and has outscored opponents 24-11 on the season as a whole.

Sven Koenig was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year, leading the BIG EAST with 10 goals. He scored the game-winner in the first meeting vs. Marquette back on Oct. 24. Joel Rydstrand won Midfielder of the Year, tallying five assists. Five Bluejays earned All-BIG EAST honors in all, including second team selection, keeper Paul Kruse, who led the league with a 0.62 GAA.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
ALL-TIME SERIES: Marquette and Creighton hook up for the 15th time, and first in BIG EAST tournament play, with the all-time series tied at 7-7-0. The Golden Eagles snapped a three-match losing streak in 2017 with a 4-3 win in Milwaukee, but Bluejays have strung together four-straight victories at Morrison Stadium, including a narrow 2-1 win over the Golden Eagles back on Oct. 24.

In their regular season meeting just two weeks ago, Ziyad Fares gave the Bluejays an early lead with a 21st minute strike right in front of the goal. It wasn't until the 80th minute that the Golden Eagles broke through as Leo Villa headed in a brilliant free kick from Josh Coan. However, just 34 seconds later, Sven Koenig tallied his then-eighth goal of the year for the eventual game-winner. Creighton held the edge in shots (17-7) and corners (5-4).

FIVE EARN ALL-BIG EAST HONORS FOR MARQUETTE: Senior Luis Barraza was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year and joined juniors Luka Prpa and Patrick Seagrist on the first team. Connor Alba was a second team honoree, while Lukas Sunesson garnered All-Freshman Team honors. It was the third-straight all-league honor for Prpa, while the others earned their first.

KEEPER TANDEM EARN WEEKLY HONORS: Freshman Cedrik Stern did an admirable job filling in for the suspended Luis Barraza in the regular season finale, making nine saves and recording his first career victory and clean sheet in a 2-0 win over DePaul. He was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week for his efforts, marking his first career league weekly accolade.

Luis Barraza's performance in Saturday's BIG EAST quarterfinal against Xavier also garnered some recognition. His six saves, plus another in the final round of penalties, earned him TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week honors. It was his first career national weekly honor.

BIG EAST TOURNEY FEVER: The Golden Eagles are 5-5-1 all-time in the BIG EAST Championship, advancing past the first round for the first time since 2013, which marked the program's first and only BIG EAST Championship title.

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.