MU Drops 2OT Road Battle to Butler

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Marquette men's soccer team fell to Butler in a double overtime battle Wednesday night, 2-1.

The Golden Eagles (6-7-1, 3-4-1 BIG EAST) battled an uphill climb from near the start, after Butler scored on its first shot of the match in the sixth minute. Marquette remained aggressive, controlling possession for the majority of the half and earning several good looks on six first-half shots, but was unable to even the score.

Despite the halftime deficit, MU continued to control the pace in the second half.

The Golden Eagles played the last portion of the match with just 10 men after redshirt junior midfielder Alan Salmeron was sent off in the 69th minute with a red card.

Despite being short-handed, Marquette found an equalizer in the 83rd minute of action as a well-placed pass from 20 yards out by Beto Soto found redshirt sophomore striker AJ Franklin in the box for a header which found the back of the net. This was Franklin's first goal of the season and the second of his career.

After a scoreless first period of overtime, a left-footed shot from the top of the 18-yard box by Butler's Quint Breitkreuz in the 102nd minute sealed the deal for the Bulldogs.

"I've never been more proud of our guys, the way they battled and the way they fought, and I've never been more upset in my career about a game," said Marquette head coach Louis Bennett. "In the end, the massive amount of yellow cards and a red card still didn't prevent us from battling, from getting back into the game and taking it into double overtime with a chance to win it. Before they scored, we had the best chance but their goalkeeper made a wonderful save. We've got a bunch of really upset guys who played their hearts out, and who deserve to have something from that game."

In addition to the red card, the two teams combined for 27 fouls and 13 bookings.

Marquette attempted 17 shots in the match, its second-highest total this season.

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles remain on the road as they travel to Queens to take on St. John's (8-4-2, 3-2-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 4:30 p.m. (CST). This is the team's final road match of the regular season.

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).