The women's soccer team had another case of the Sundays over the weekend at Valley Fields.
Marquette followed a five-star performance Friday night with a disappointing loss Sunday afternoon, continuing its inconsistent form.
Three goals in a fast-paced 30 minute opening guided the Golden Eagles to a comfortable 5-0 rout of Cincinnati Friday. Louisville won Sunday's game, 1-0, on a fortunate deflection, dropping Marquette's record to 6-6-1 (2-2-1).
Marquette started quickly Friday, scoring in 49 seconds. Bearcat freshman keeper Jennifer Doerflein let sophomore forward Meghan Connelly's lofted shot slip over her hands into the net.
"Getting that early goal really set the tone," Marquette head coach Markus Roeders said.
In the 20th minute junior midfielder Julie Thompson doubled the lead with an excellent finish from 15 yards out.
Heather Goranson, a junior midfielder, kept things moving and converted a penalty kick in the 26th minute to make it three. A mistake from the Bearcat defense had given sophomore forward Alison Loughrin a breakaway before she was fouled to win the penalty.
The goal of the night occurred in the 75th minute, when clever skills from Thompson on the right wing set up senior midfielder Claire Weber for a perfect cross that reached the head of sophomore midfielder Michelle Pitzl, who scored her first goal of the season.
"It's a great feeling because it was a team effort," said Weber, who was on the team when Cincinnati defeated Marquette in the 2001 and 2002 Conference USA Championship games.
Freshman forward Maureen Kole rounded out the scoring on a counter attack in the 86th minute, finishing a cross from junior defender Erin Jamieson.
"The goals showed how we can really create from midfield," Roeders said. "I couldn't be more pleased."
The Golden Eagles out-shot the Bearcats 20-3. Senior goalkeeper Katie Bissen made two saves in her fifth shutout of the season.
Marquette failed to break down a stingy Louisville defense Sunday.
An edgy first 25 minutes saw little adventurous play from either side, but Louisville took advantage of a good spell of play to grab the lead.
Louisville freshman midfielder Monique Gjini, an Edmonton native and member of the Canadian National Team, scored from the top of the penalty box in the 26th minute. The goal, her fifth of the season, took a significant deflection off Marquette sophomore defender Ashley Baird's head to wrong-foot Bissen.
"I can't be pleased when we don't play 90 minutes," Roeders said, citing the lack of effort in the first half.
Marquette nearly equalized the score in the 40th minute when Thompson's 25-yard chip struck the crossbar and senior Louisville keeper Meredith Miller stopped Kole's rebound effort.
Late in the second half, Louisville sophomore forward Jamie Craft showed tremendous pace to beat two Marquette defenders on a break.
Craft, last year's C-USA Freshman of the Year, failed to add to her 11-goal tally this season and shot just wide.
Marquette's final chance to tie the game came with five minutes remaining. Junior midfielder Lindsay Michuda crossed from the right wing, but Kole shot agonizingly wide from close range.
"Against a good team, we're only going to get so many chances," Roeders said. "(Louisville) did what they had to do."
Miller recorded the shutout for Louisville, stopping four shots, while Bissen made five saves for Marquette.
Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles held a slight edge in shots, 11-8. Louisville improved its record to 9-3-1 (4-1-1) and ranks second in the C-USA standings. Cincinnati rebounded from the Friday loss to defeat DePaul Sunday, improving its record to 3-9-0 (1-4-0).
Marquette, currently ranked seventh in C-USA, continues its home stand next weekend with games against TCU Friday night and Houston Sunday afternoon.
