Alba Nets Late Goal as Golden Eagles Defeat Wildcats

VILLANOVA, Pennsylvania – The Marquette University men's soccer team emerged victoriously, 1-0, in a crucial BIG EAST match against the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday afternoon in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

86'| Connor Alba SCORES!!! The senior out of Waukesha puts the Golden Eagles up with a fantastic strike to put his team ahead late on the road.

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— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 19, 2019

MU senior Connor Alba scored the lone goal of the match in the 86^th minute, his third goal of the season and 13^th of his career.

"It felt great to score that goal and help my team get three points today," Alba said. "Anytime you can pick up a road win in the BIG EAST it's a success."

Senior Connor Alba (@connor_alba) recaps his team's thrilling 1-0 win over Villanova today on the road. #WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/YYB6sVWtco
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 19, 2019

The first half proved to be a back-and-forth affair as the two teams exchanged scoring chances. MU's best chance of the first 45 came in the 32^nd minute, with Luka Prpa hitting the crossbar on a free kick from outside the box. The two teams went into halftime tied at zero.

The Golden Eagles came out of the break aggressively and strung together several scoring opportunities that were turned away by VU keeper Carson Williams.

Williams and the Wildcats were inches away from taking the lead in the 75^th minute. After a corner kick and a header to the back post, MU senior defender Patrick Seagrist headed away the opportunity and blocked a follow up opportunity on a rebound, which kept the game scoreless.

75'| Patrick Seagrist and the back line of Marquette keep Villanova from going up 1-0! Excellent defending by the Golden Eagles.

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— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 19, 2019

In the waning minutes, senior forward Connor Alba found some space in between the 'Nova defense and laced a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of the net. With just four minutes left in the game, the Golden Eagles were able to hold strong defensively to seal the victory.

MU goalkeeper Cedrik Stern was able to keep a clean sheet for his team, saving both shots that came on goal. He moved to 2-2-0 on the year in four starts.

The Golden Eagles outshot the Wildcats 14-11 on the game, including a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal.

UP NEXT:
The Golden Eagles will head back to Milwaukee to prepare for another BIG EAST tilt, this time for a mid-week match against Butler on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7:03 p.m.. The game will be available for live streaming on the BIG EAST Digital Network.

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).

Catch the 🎥 highlights of today's 1-0 win over the Villanova Wildcats! MU has now won two of its last three BIG EAST road games.#WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/K2Srj7nSm0
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 19, 2019