There was a piece of garbage laying on the field between the sideline and the chain link fence separating the stands from the action at the women's soccer game Sunday.

It was an empty plastic bag marked with the words "Unshelled salted peanuts."

Until the 69th minute of the game, Marquette's performance against the Louisville Cardinals resembled that bag and its former contents.

Presuming the peanuts had long since been eaten, the shells were in the garbage somewhere, as empty as the bag and, well, as the display that the Golden Eagles had put on until that point.

To say that they were a shell of the team that had beaten Notre Dame 4-1 would not just be incredibly lame, it would also be accurate.

Then came the Lazarus-style penalty kick by Julie Thompson, which caused the Golden Eagles to pop bolt upright with new life.

All of a sudden they resembled minute rice more than an empty bag of peanuts, something that really rang true in the last 1:15 of the game. Christy Zwolski's game-winning goal created an exciting and thrilling victory faster than my microwave can heat a bag of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild.

And now Notre Dame is on the horizon, with a Big East championship berth on the line on the Golden Eagles' home turf.

Can things get any better for Marquette women's soccer?

The obvious answer is, "Yes, if they win the tournament and the NCAA Championship." But for now, let's just take it one step at a time.

After all, that's what Marquette was forced to do Sunday. Despite the glitz and glamour of moving to as prestigious a league as the glorious Big East, the Golden Eagles didn't find themselves face-to-face with a high profile opponent such as Connecticut, but rather familiar old Louisville.

Yes, contrary to the tagline featured so prominently on posters around campus, on Sunday it seemed as if the Big East had just gotten smaller. But for the "Big East" flags flying around Valley Fields, the faded "Conference-USA" decals adorning the hurdles on the track field could've tricked the ignorant fan into believing this was a C-USA matchup.

But the Cardinals didn't disintegrate as easily as their former conference, instead holding the upper hand for much of the game and underscoring the importance of the whole "one game at a time" cliché.

Thompson's PK signified Marquette's awareness of this cliché, as did Zwolski's goal.

Notre Dame on Friday is still an imposing obstacle, despite the Golden Eagles' victory earlier this year. Fans shouldn't be fooled into thinking that Marquette will be able to cakewalk past the Irish,and shouldn't bank on the title game for the chance to see the team play in a Big East tournament they're also hosting. Anyone who wants to see a good Marquette team in what could be its last home appearance should go to Friday's game.

After all, it's no guarantee, but if Marquette can find the recipe again, fans might just be treated to a $50 steak dinner-like experience.