MSOC Travels East to Face Villanova, Providence

The Marquette University men's soccer team (4-5-1, 0-1-1 BIG EAST) returns to the road this week as it continues BIG EAST play with a pair of matches on the east coast. The Golden Eagles will first take on the Villanova Wildcats (4-3-2, 1-1-1 BIG EAST) on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 3 p.m. (CT), before traveling to Rhode Island to face Providence (3-2-4, 1-0-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 11 a.m. (CT).

The Wildcats, who made it to the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, have gotten off to a 4-3-2 start to the season with a 1-1-1 mark in league play. Outscoring opponents by a combined 15-7 on the year, they have been led offensively by senior attacker Lyam MacKinnon, who has a team-best nine points on four goals and one assist.

The Friars, also a squad which made and advanced in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, currently sit at 3-2-4 on the year and are an unbeaten 1-0-2 in BIG EAST play. They have been led this season by junior attacker Gevork Diarbian, who has a team-best seven points on two goals and three assists.

CORNERING THE COMPETITION

Marquette has had one of the league's top scoring offenses this season, due in part to its success in setting up and capitalizing on set piece opportunities. The Golden Eagles currently rank 14th nationally in corner kicks this season, setting up 7.3 kicks from the flag per game. These opportunities have contributed to the team's 2.30 goals per game average, a mark which is on track to be the best during the Coach Bennett era at Marquette. MU has taken at least seven corners in six matches this year, including a season-best 12 against Milwaukee on Sept. 20.

SERIES HISTORY

Friday will mark the ninth all-time meeting between Marquette and Butler, a series which began in 2007. All-time in the series, the Wildcats hold a 5-3-1 advantage, though MU has won two of the past three meetings. On the road in the series, Marquette is 2-3. Last season, the teams met in late September in Milwaukee, where Villanova used a 28th minute goal to capture a 1-0 win.

All-time against Providence, the Golden Eagles trail 4-10-3 in a series which dates back to 2006. MU has a 3-6 series record in Providence. Marquette's last win over the Friars came back in 2013, though last year's meeting in Milwaukee in early October resulted in a 2-2 draw.

vs. Villanova (3-5-1)

(Last 5 Meetings)

9/18/21 L 0-1 Milwaukee

10/19/19 W 1-0 Villanova

9/15/18 W 3-0 Milwaukee

9/16/17 L 1-3 Villanova

9/24/16 L 1-2 Milwaukee

vs. Providence (4-10-3)

(Last 5 Meetings)

10/2/21 T 2-2 2OT Milwaukee

11/9/19 L 0-3 Providence

10/12/19 L 0-2 Providence