MSOC Kicks off BIG EAST Play Against Creighton

MILWAUKEE—The Marquette men's soccer team is coming off its third straight overtime win and begins conference play this weekend inside the Valley Fields bubble.

The Golden Eagles (3-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) will look to continue their hot start against the Creighton Bluejays on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. CT. Live stream and stats will be available on GoMarquette.com and Dan Avington (play-by-play) and Michael Gallo (analyst) will be on the call.

Head Coach Louis Bennett looks to push towards being the second coach in school history to hit the 100-career win mark (Steve Adlard, 1992-05, 140 wins), by clinching his 95^th win this weekend.

STATS/STREAM:
Live streaming and live stats will be available for the match on GoMarquette.com.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Marquette head coach Louis Bennett won his 94th game as MU head coach against Saint Louis (Feb. 13).
The Golden Eagles are 3-0 for the first time since 2012 and the second time in Coach Bennett's tenure.
MU is 7-1-2 in the last 10 overtime games under Coach Bennett.
Chandler Hallwood was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the week (Feb. 15) and Zyan Andrade was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and College Soccer News Team of the Week (Feb. 15).
Oliver Posarelli was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Men's Team for the Week (Feb. 16)
Golden Eagle alum Danny Jarosz ('18) joined the coaching staff last year and is entering his first year as an assistant coach. He played and started in 13 games during his time as a student-athlete.
MU has won its first three games in 1-0 overtime thrillers. First, freshman Beto Soto scored the game-winner from Christian Marquez in the season-opener over Loyola Chicago. Lukas Sunesson was the hero vs. NIU, netting the winner off an Alex Mirsberger cross. Zyan Andrade scored the golden goal against on a left-footed strike off a loft from Alex Mirsberger.
The Golden Eagles return six starters and 15 letterwinners from their 2019 team. They also added 13 newcomers.
The Golden Eagles will have to replace 64.9% of their points (48-of-74) from a season ago.
The Golden Eagles have used all three goalkeepers on the roster so far this season. Chandler Hallwood and Cedrik Stern have each collected victories after coming off the bench.

OPPONENT FORM:
CREIGHTON (0-0-0, 0-0-0 BIG EAST)
Led by junior goalkeeper Paul Kruse (Heilbronn, Germany/ Monchseegymnasium), Creighton University opens their 2021 season at Marquette. Kruse, who earned BIG EAST Preseason Co-Goalkeeper of the Year and Preseason All-BIG EAST honors, started 10 matches in 2019 and posted 42 saves.

The Bluejays return only two of their top-five scorers. After graduating, top-scorer Yudai Tashiro moved on to play professionally with Delfines Del Este FC in the Dominican Republic Professional Soccer League. Returning Junior Charles Auguste (Montreal, Quebec/ Ahunstic College) scored six goals in the 2019 season, while R.S.-Sophomore Dominic Briggs tallied five goals for the Blue Jays.

Creighton went 8-7-2 (4-4-1 BIG EAST) in the 2019 season and tied for fourth overall in the BIG EAST. The Bluejays earned the second spot in the Midwest Division of this season's edition of the preseason polls. The trip to Milwaukee kicks off their 2021 BIG EAST play, but is followed by three non-conference matches against Central Methodist, Nebraska-Omaha, and Drake, respectively.

SERIES HISTORY:
Marquette and Creighton have played 16 times in the history of the two programs, with Creighton leading the series by one win, 7-8-1. Saturday's meeting will be the first time the two teams meet since MU's BIG EAST opener in 2019, when Creighton took the game off a lone goal from Daniel Espeleta in the 85^th minute.

LAST TIME OUT:
For their third straight win, the Golden Eagles knocked off Saint Louis in an overtime thriller. In this game, Junior midfielder Zyan Andrade was the hero as he scored the golden goal with eight seconds left in the first overtime period to lift MU to a 1-0 victory over Saint Louis. The goal was made possible after a scramble in which sophomore defender Alex Mirsberger lofted a ball into the box.

KEY POINTS:

MU PICKED FOURTH IN BIG EAST MIDWEST DIVISION:

The Conference schedule will feature two geographic divisions this spring, with the Georgetown Hoyas as the unanimous favorite in the East Division and the Butler Bulldogs picked to win the Midwest Division.
The Marquette men's soccer team was picked to finish fourth in the Midwest Division in the BIG EAST Preseason Men's Soccer poll. Along with Butler, Creighton and Xavier were picked to finish ahead of MU in the Midwest standings.

2019 SEASON RECAP:

MU went 8-9-1 (4-5 BIG EAST) and made its second consecutive BIG EAST tournament trip in 2019. The Golden Eagles were the No. 6 seed and fell in the first round to Providence, 3-0. MU posted conference road wins at DePaul, Xavier and Villanova while defeating Butler at home. MU's top non-conference win came on Sept. 24 in a 2-0 win at Wisconsin.

MU STARTS OFF 2021 WITH THREE OVERTIME VICTORIES:

The Golden Eagles have needed extra time for their three victories to start the spring 2021 season. Games against Loyola Chicago, Northern Illinois and Saint Louis were tied 0-0 before being decided in the first overtime period.
Freshman striker Beto Soto was the hero in game one, taking a through-ball from Christian Marquez for a left-footed strike past the diving keeper.
Junior Lukas Sunesson netted his ninth career goal to defeat Northern Illinois last Sunday, taking a one-touch goal off a marvelous cross from Alex Mirsberger five minutes into the first overtime.
San Francisco transfer Zyan Andrade's first career goal came with eight seconds left in the first overtime to defeat Saint Louis on Feb. 13.
The Golden Eagles are 7-1-2 in their past 10 overtime games under Bennett.

SUNESSON LOOKS TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF:

A junior from Taby, Sweden, Lukas Sunesson is Marquette's most productive returning scorer in 2021. In 2018 he had five goals, which put him second on the team. His performance as a freshman earned him a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman team and he made an appearance on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Last year, he played in all 18 games and tied for second on the team with three goals to go along with one assist. This spring he has huge goals he wants to accomplish.
Sunesson got on the board with his first goal of 2021 after a one-touch goal off a cross from Mirsberger sealed MU's victory over NIU on Sunday.

MU BOASTS INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR:

This year's roster features players from England (3), Brazil (2), Germany (2), Italy (2) and Sweden (1), as well as six different states. Head coach Louis Bennett has shown he can bring players from all around the world to MU. The flags of all nations represented by this year's roster are typically displayed behind team benches during home matches at Valley Fields.

NEWCOMERS SET TO COMPETE:

Head coach Louis Bennett has announced 13 signees for the 2020 recruiting class. The group includes eight freshmen and five transfers. Positionally, the team adds five forwards, three midfielders, four defenders and a goalkeeper.
"We're losing several guys from a very successful senior class," Bennett said. "Our staff worked hard to find a bevy of talented players who we can develop to step in and fill some holes in our roster. We're excited about the talent and versatility of this group."
MU will be looking to replace six seniors from last season, including all four All-BIG EAST honorees. Griffin Jende (two goals) also departed.

UP NEXT:
The Golden Eagles host Western Illinois University in another non-conference match on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. Central time at Valley Fields. The game will be streamed on GoMarquette.com.

TICKETS:
As of now, no tickets will be sold for the spring 2021 season. Fans are not going to be permitted for home games inside the Valley Fields bubble for at least the first month of the 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).