Meghan Connelly had scored once in 15 games before the women's soccer team traveled to her hometown of Cincinnati on Friday.

"Playing at your home always gives you an extra something," Connelly said. "I just can't lose when I'm at home."

She certainly made sure of it.

The junior forward tallied four goals over the weekend, three of which came in Friday's 4-3 win over Cincinnati. Her other strike tied Sunday's game at Louisville before senior midfielder Julie Thompson scored in overtime to clinch a 2-1 victory.

"It was really fun to play at home," Connelly said. Her parents in attendance apparently had fun, too. "After Friday's game they were like, 'Whoa. Where did that come from?'"

Her two first-half goals came from Lindsay Michuda assists. In the ninth minute, the senior midfielder's shot struck the crossbar, and Connelly put in the rebound. After Connelly assisted on sophomore forward Christy Zwolski's team-leading eighth goal of the season, she added her second of the night from a Michuda pass.

It was 3-0 after 22 minutes. It was a clinical rout of an inferior opponent (Cincinnati stood at 3-10-3, 1-7-1 after another loss Sunday).

Then complacency set in for the No. 12 Golden Eagles (14-2-1, 7-2-0).

"We got a little too comfortable with our lead," Connelly said.

Jenn Johannigman and Heather Haney cut Cincinnati's deficit to one before halftime.

But Connelly scored her third goal and eventual game-winner six minutes into the second half.

Her first career hat trick proved that the offense can cope without Alison Loughrin, the junior forward who had a team-leading six goals before tearing her ACL against DePaul Oct. 2.

Connelly's insurance goal came in handy 12 minutes later when Marquette conceded another goal. Johannigman's second of the game marked the first time this season that the Golden Eagles allowed more than two goals in a game.

The defense recovered against Louisville (10-6-0, 5-4-0), although not immediately.

Marquette began poorly Sunday when sophomore goalkeeper Laura Boyer committed a foul in her box. She saved the subsequent penalty kick taken by Louisville's Mallory Lampson, but it failed to spark the Golden Eagles who found themselves trailing two minutes later. Louisville's Shannon Smyth scored in the 15th minute on a well-struck shot to the far post.

Marquette, however, has been brimming with confidence all season.

"We've shown that we can come back," Thompson said. "We're fighters."

Connelly exhibited the team's combative spirit with a 72nd-minute equalizer. She made space at the edge of the penalty area, turned and fired a shot into the top far corner.

"Surprisingly it went in," Connelly said. "I didn't even look up."

It's been that sort of season for the Golden Eagles. The goal gave the team the energy in the latter stages of the match.

"We had all the momentum going into overtime," Thompson said. "It was at any moment that we would score."

Thompson seized a moment in the 10th minute of overtime when she evaded a defender at the top of the 18-yard box and buried a left-footed shot past the Louisville goalkeeper.

It was Marquette's fourth overtime win in five opportunities this season. The sole draw came Sept. 7 at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Marquette closes its regular season this weekend with home games against Syracuse and St. John's.

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on October 18, 2005.