After weeks of experimentation, weeks of tinkering with a lineup loaded with strikers but short on creative midfielders, there emerged a simple truth that may have solved Marquette's scoring woes.

Allison Mallams plays on a different level at forward.

"I'm a lot more comfortable," said Mallams, who scored game-winning goals in both weekend matches. "I feel like I get to run more, utilize my speed more when I'm at forward. I wasn't as confident shooting from further out."

After registering four goals and three assists in the first two games of the season, the junior's pace and finishing ability were hampered in the attacking midfield role she filled for much of the team's six-match winless streak.

In Friday night's game against No. 15 Connecticut at Valley Fields, Mallams assumed her more comfortable position.

The result: Mallams had five shots on goal — five more than her total from the previous four games — including the game-winning goal in the 103rd minute to lead the women's soccer team to a psychologically massive 1-0 overtime victory. Furthermore, her breakaway speed returned, especially in a fast-paced first half in which she twice gained separation from the UConn defense.

"Allison Mallams showed what she's capable of," head coach Markus Roeders said after the game.

Her capabilities had disappeared when the coaching staff experimented with the lineup, thinking she could have helped link the midfield to the attack from a deeper position.

Although Mallams dominated Friday in an advanced position and scored the team's first goal (her sixth of the season) in the 2-0 win Sunday at Providence, Roeders hesitated to draw permanent conclusions about the forward lineup.

"I don't know if we're getting closer" to a settled rotation, Roeders said. "I think it's going to continue to be a situation of who does the best job at any point in time. We know that at some point in time we have to get some more continuity in where players play."

During its winless skid, Marquette (4-3-3, 2-1-0 Big East) did not create enough scoring chances out of the midfield. In recent games, many of the team's natural forwards, including senior Meghan Connelly and freshman Michelle Compty, have seen time in the middle of the field to bolster the attack.

"It's nice that each game we're playing all our forwards," Mallams said. "It's nice that we have so much depth that we can change it up all the time."

Marquette's deep frontline benefits from its versatility as well, as forwards like Connelly have adapted capably as makeshift midfielders.

Connelly, a three-year starter at forward and the team's third-leading scorer, acknowledged the difficulty in adjusting to a new position.

"It's not bad. It takes a little bit of getting used to just because I haven't played center mid in a long time," Connelly said. "I'm just going to play where the team needs me. Overall I don't really mind."

Connelly's flexibility likely will help the squad, because Mallams' performances suggest the junior does mind where she plays.