Golden Eagles to Take on No. 7-Ranked Georgetown

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's soccer team hits the road for a battle with the No. 7-ranked Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday at Shaw Field in Washington, D.C.

First touch is set for noon Central time with live streaming available on the BIG EAST Digital Network through Caffeine TV and YouTube.

The Golden Eagles are coming off two straight BIG EAST victories against Villanova and Butler, while the Hoyas defeated No. 7 St. John's on Wednesday evening. GT came away with a 2-0 victory over MU last season and has won 13 of the 17 overall matchups between the two teams in the series.

STATS/STREAM:
Live stats will be available on GUHoyas.com while the BIG EAST Digital Network will provide live streaming coverage.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Marquette head coach Louis Bennett won his 90th game as the MU head coach against Butler.
MU is 7-1 this season when outshooting its opponent and 5-2 when scoring first.
MU has won five of its last nine road games dating back to 2018.
The Golden Eagles are 3-3 on the road this season, which marks the first time they've won three or more road games in a season since 2013, when they made the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Senior forward Connor Alba scored his third goal of the year (second game-winner) in a 1-0 win at Villanova on Oct. 19.
There's a three-way tie for second place in goals on the team, as Connor Alba, Manuel Cukaj and Christian Marquez have scored three apiece.
Senior defender Patrick Seagrist leads the team and conference with seven assists.
Josh Coan netted his team-leading fifth goal of the season against Saint Louis on Oct. 1.
Patrick Seagrist was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll this week after leading a strong back line for MU in a 1-0 road win over Villanova.
Luka Prpa now has 20 career assists, which puts him at a tie for No. 9 all-time in school history.
Sophomore goalkeeper Cedrik Stern has started the last four games in net for MU, posting a 5-2 record and .735 save percentage.

OPPONENT FORM:
#7 GEORGETOWN 12-1-1 (5-0-1 BIG EAST)
The Georgetown Hoyas are led by 14th-year head coach Brian Wiese. Under his guidance, the team has seen unprecedented success. His achievements include seven NCAA Tournament berths in a nine-year span, four BIG EAST regular season championships, three BIG EAST Championships and nine seasons with top-25 rankings, including stints at No. 1 in the nation.

The Hoyas defeated the Golden Eagles twice last year, once in the regular season and again in the BIG EAST tournament championship game. GT was the only BIG EAST school to make the NCAA Championships last year, defeating West Virginia in the first round before falling to Michigan State.

This year, the Hoyas only loss was a double overtime thrilled at Louisville. They've defeated multiple top-25 teams, including defending national champion Maryland and No. 4 St. John's on the road. Junior midfielder Jacob Montes leads the team in scoring (7 goals) while two-time all-conference honoree Derek Dodson leads the team in points (16).

SERIES HISTORY:
Saturday's meeting will be the 18th in the all-time series between the Golden Eagles and Hoyas. Georgetown currently leads the series, 13-1-3. The two teams have tied in two of the last four matchups, but Georgetown is unbeaten in the past 12 games in the series (9-0-3). MU's last win over GT came on Oct. 17, 2009 in Milwaukee, when they came away with a 1-0 win.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:
Head Coach Louis Bennett: "I was proud of the win at Villanova, but I'm really, really proud of our performance today," Bennett said of Wednesday's win against Butler. "We have several players banged up right now, but guys are stepping up when their opportunity comes and that's all you can ask for."

Sophomore Defender Josh Hancock: "It was huge to pick up three points on Wednesday night. We need to do anything we can to find a way to pick up points on Saturday against a tough Georgetown team."

KEY POINTS:
COAN HAVING BREAKTHROUGH SENIOR YEAR: Senior forward Josh Coan is atop numerous offensive statistical categories for his team in 2019. He leads MU in shots (42), shots on goal (24), points (14) and goals (5). He's also second on the team in assists. The Indianapolis, Indiana native also ranks in the top five in the BIG EAST in shots, shots on goal and points.

SUNESSON BREAKS OUT AGAINST BUTLER: Lukas Sunesson scored his first goal of the season at Wisconsin (Sept. 24) in a 2-0 road win. Despite creating a plethora of scoring chances, he had been held scoreless for nearly a month until he broke out against Butler on Wednesday. Sunesson tallied his first assist of the season on Josh Hancock's goal to put his team up 2-1. He followed that up with the eventual game-winning goal in the second half, aiding his team in a 3-2 BIG EAST win.

PRPA MOVES TO NO. 9 ALL-TIME AT MU IN CAREER ASSISTS: Senior captain Luka Prpa tallied his third assist of the season in a 1-0 win over Villanova on Oct. 19. It was his 20th career assist at MU, which puts him in a tie for ninth all-time in school history for career assists. He also tallied two assists vs. Green Bay on Oct. 8, giving him three assists in his past three games.

SEAGRIST RANKS SECOND IN BIG EAST IN ASSISTS: Senior defender Patrick Seagrist has been as dependable as it gets in the first 14 games of the 2019 season. He's been on the pitch for a team-high 1,211 minutes of action. After tallying 12 points in his junior year on the way to all-conference honors, he leads the team and ranks second in the BIG EAST with seven assists this season. He's also scored two goals in the past four games and ranks second on the team in points (11).

BENNETT ROTATES STARTING LINEUP: MU has had a plethora of starting lineups in its 14 games this season. 21 different field players have started games for Bennett's squad. Alba and Seagrist are the only players who have started in every game.

SCHEDULE TESTING GOLDEN EAGLES: Four of the Golden Eagles' 17 games are against opponents either ranked or receiving votes in the NCAA's preseason top-25 poll. Georgetown (No. 7) and St. John's (No. 4) are ranked while Saint Louis (8) and UC Davis (1) are receiving votes.

UP NEXT:
The Golden Eagles will have a week of practice to prepare for the Seton Hall Pirates on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7:03 p.m. This is the final home match of the season as MU sends off seniors Connor Alba, Josh Coan, Griffin Jende, Luka Prpa, Patrick Seagrist and Leo Villa on senior night at Valley Fields.

TICKETS:
Tickets for the final regular season home game are on sale. Single game tickets are priced at $5 while groups of fifteen-or-more are $2 per person. For groups, call the ticket office at 414-288-4668.

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).