WSOC faces Villanova in Thursday matinee

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University women's soccer team heads to Villanova for a Thursday matinee before returning to Milwaukee to host St. John's on Sunday afternoon at Valley Fields.

The Golden Eagles (2-7-1, 0-1-0 BIG EAST) will meet Villanova on Thursday, Sept. 27 at the Higgins Soccer Complex at 3 p.m. Central time in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The match will air live on the BIG EAST Digital Network through FOX Sports Go with Nick Mantegna on the call.

Marquette enters the contest at 0-1 in BIG EAST play after dropping its league opener to Butler on Sunday afternoon at Valley Fields, 1-0. Junior goalkeeper Maddy Henry made three saves in a match that featured 37 total fouls, including 24 from the Bulldogs, and a three yellow cards. Anja Savich scored what proved to be the winner for Butler in the 34th minute and the Bulldogs held MU off the board.

The Golden Eagles have scored six goals in 2018, with a pair of those coming from redshirt senior forward Carrie Madden against Michigan on Aug. 23. Redshirt junior defender Brianna Jaeger scored the match winner in Marquette's 1-0 win over Milwaukee last Monday as Henry made six saves for her second clean sheet of the season. Jaeger was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday for her play against UWM and Butler.

Villanova (6-4, 0-1 BIG EAST) fell to Providence, 2-0, in its BIG EAST opener on Saturday despite holding a 17-11 edge in shots and a 5-6 advantage in corner kicks. Bri Austin leads the Wildcats in both goals (four) and points (nine) through 10 matches and led VU to an early season overtime win at LSU on Aug. 19 and a 1-0 triumph over intra-city rival Saint Joseph's on Sept. 13.

The Golden Eagles are 8-1 all-time against Villanova and had not allowed a goal in the series history until last year's 4-1 defeat at Valley Fields. Marquette had outscored VU, 12-0, with eight straight victories until last year's loss in which Emily Kuefler scored twice. MU's lone tally came on an own goal in the 83rd minute on an Erin Johnston corner kick that was deflected into the net by a VU player.

Then-senior Liz Bartels posted a mid-first half goal and Marquette added a second marker on an own goal early in the second half of the last meeting at Villanova, a 2-0 MU triumph on Oct. 20, 2016. Henry also made eight saves in the contest.
Following the match at Villanova, Marquette returns to Milwaukee to host St. John's at 1 p.m. Central time at Valley Fields. Patrick Reed will handle the call on the BIG EAST Digital Network through FOX Sports Go.

St. John's (4-6, 0-1 BIG EAST), which will play at Creighton on Thursday before heading to Milwaukee, began BIG EAST play with a 3-0 loss to Georgetown on Sept. 23. The Red Storm have lost three of its last four matches and are led in scoring by Zsani Kajan, who also tops the BIG EAST in goals (seven) and points (16).

St. John's also boasts seniors Lucy Whipp, Samie Scaffidi and Christina Bellero, who each have at least six points this season.

Marquette is 13-1-1 all-time against the Red Storm in a series that began when MU entered the BIG EAST for the 2005 campaign. The Golden Eagles have won each of the last three matchups after a 3-0 victory by SJU in Queens in 2015.

Sunday's match at Valley Fields will also feature Marquette's second annual petting zoo at the east end of the Valley Fields bleachers past the concession stand.

JAEGER LEADS MU IN MINUTES, SCORES MILWAUKEE WINNER
• Redshirt junior center back Bri Jaeger has played big minutes for the Golden Eagles this season, leading the team with 903 played through the first 10 matches. While seniors Allison Jacobson and Ryley Bugay have split time next to her at center back, Jaeger has started every contest after starting 14 of 17 matches in 2017. Jaeger also chipped in offensively against Milwaukee on Sept. 17 with the winning tally on a header from freshman Katrina Wetherell in the 73rd minute. The goal was the second of the Cedarburg, Wisconsin native's career and came a little over a year after her only other career marker on Sept. 10, 2017 at Rhode Island.

MARQUETTE DOWNS MILWAUKEE FOR SERIES LEAD
• Marquette snapped Milwaukee's 27-match unbeaten streak on Monday, Sept. 17 with a 1-0 victory at Valley Fields in the 27th all-time meeting between the two squads. With the victory, MU moves to 10-9-8 in series history against the Panthers, which includes matchups in all 26 regular seasons of Marquette women's soccer as well as the 2005 NCAA tournament. Marquette claimed that lone NCAA tournament matchup, 1-0, in 2005 at Valley Fields. Entering this year's meeting, MU was 0-2-2 in the last four meetings after going 4-0-1 in the five contests from 2009-13. Marquette's previous victory in the series was a 5-0 win at Milwaukee on Sept. 23, and MU is now 6-5-3 all-time against UWM at Marquette.

STARTING LINEUPS IN FLUX
• Through the first 10 matches of the regular season, head coach Markus Roeders has rolled out eight different starting lineups. Upperclassmen Maddy Henry, Bri Jaeger, Emily Hess and Leah Celarek have started all 10 matches in their respective roles and have been joined by freshman Katrina Wetherell, who has started every match in the midfield. Roeders has also shuffled freshmen Katie Koker and Madison Burrier into the lineup as the season has progressed. Redshirt senior Heather Handwork made just her second start since her freshman season on Sept. 17 against Milwaukee.