MSOC Opens 2022 Campaign With Pair of Home Matches this Weekend

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MILWAUKEE — The Marquette University men's soccer team (0-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) is set to kick off its 2022 campaign this weekend as it hosts a pair of matches at Valley Fields. MU will face the No. 11 Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Thursday, Aug. 25 at 5 p.m., then take on the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 2:05 p.m.

Tulsa enters the season ranked No. 11 in the UnitedSoccerCoaches Preseason Poll. The Golden Hurricanes posted a strong 2021 campaign, which saw them finish the year 16-2-1, peaking as high as No. 2 in the national poll. Alex Mienhard returns as the squad's top offensive threat after netting 12 goals a season ago. Ben Barkley, who led the team with seven assists last year, now plays for Marquette.

Utah Tech (known as Dixie State prior to this season) finished its first season as a Division I program in 2021 with a 4-13-1 overall mark. The Trailblazers return seven starters from last year's squad. They will open their 2022 campaign Thursday at Wisconsin before traveling to Milwaukee.

Sunesson Named to Preseason All-BIG EAST Team

For the second-consecutive season, senior striker Lukas Sunesson was named to the all-BIG EAST preseason team. The Taby, Sweden, native was MU's top goal scorer a season ago, totaling six goals on the year to garner second-team all-BIG EAST honors. Sunesson was one of three MU players to start all 16 matches in 2021, logging 1,069 minutes on the pitch.

As a team, the Golden Eagles were picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST preseason coaches poll, a position which reflects their finish from a season ago. In 2021, MU finished the year 7-8-1 overall and 4-5-1 in league play to narrowly miss out on the conference touranment.

New Faces Everywhere

While Marquette returns plenty of production from last season, including 11 starters and 16 letterwinners, it also welcomes in 10 newcomers. Seven freshmen and three transfers join coach Louis Bennett's squad this fall.

Newcomers include Ben Barkley (Tulsa, Okla.), Abdoul Karim Pare (Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire), Brooklyn Merl (Cologne, Germany), Ludvig Målberg (Västra Götaland, Sweden), Kyle Bebej (Joliet, Ill.), Diegoarmando Alvarado (Addison, Ill.), Mitar Mitrovic (Belgrade, Sweden), Lucas Nesthus (Pewaukee, Wis.), Tristan Rønnestad-Stevens (Perth, Australia) and Ryan Koschik (Chicago, Ill.)

Series History

All-time against Tulsa, Marquette has split the series 1-1. The first meeting came back in 1983, a 1-0 victory. The teams met last season in Oklahoma, a 1-0 win for the Golden Hurricane on Sept. 6. In that contest, Tulsa's Malik Henry-Scott netted the game-winning goal in the 74th minute to solidify the win. Thursday will mark Tulsa's first ever trip to Milwaukee.

Sunday's game will be the first ever meeting between Marquette and Utah Tech.