The Golden Eagles put the Drake Bulldogs away Friday night thanks to a dramatic goal from Christy Zwolski four minutes into overtime.
However, in a game more physical than the women's soccer team has played in a long time, the victory was made possible in the trenches.
Both sides exchanged blows, pushing and pulling their way through a match in which 30 fouls were called and two yellow cards were issued.
Drake "tried to ram it down our throats a little bit," said head coach Markus Roeders.
According to Roeders, playing a tough, physical game is not his team's style, but it is something his players do not mind doing if they have to.
"I love those kinds of games," said freshman midfielder Britni Benage.
While they may not share her enthusiasm for rough and tumble affairs, Benage's teammates were more than able to match the intense physical play brought on by a Drake squad that held the advantage in size.
Several Drake offensive runs deep into Marquette territory during the second half ended with senior defender Heather Goranson running stride-for-stride with Bulldog forward, and reigning Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, Andrea Schmitz. Goranson bumped and hand-checked just enough to force Schmitz to pull off on the attack, make an errant shot or lose control of the ball altogether.
On offense, the Golden Eagles were willing to be forceful with their approach as well.
Every time Drake goalkeeper Erin Jarvis moved to grab a Marquette shot, one of three junior forwards — Meghan Connelly, Alison Loughrin, or Lauren Weber — was charging through the defense and challenging Jarvis' concentration.
By the end of the night, Jarvis was reluctant to come too far out into the box to stop an attack, such as the one that led to Zwolski's game-winner in overtime.
"A little intimidation helps out there," Loughrin said. "When we switch up our speed and our (physical play), it's hard to stop us."
While Roeders does not want his team to resort to intimidation to win games, he does want his girls to feel comfortable battling when the situation dictates.
"He wants intensity," Benage said. "He doesn't want cheap fouls, but if you're trying your hardest, sometimes you knock a girl down."
News and Notes:
The last time a Marquette women's soccer game had gone to overtime was Oct. 24, 2004, when Goranson scored the game-winner over Tulane… The Golden Eagles have started the season 4-0 for the first time since 2000. They have never started a season 5-0… Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Laura Boyer made seven saves Friday night after making eight stops combined in the two previous games… Sophomore forward Christy Zwolski has already surpassed her goal-scoring total from a year ago. After scoring one goal in twelve games played last season, she has scored three goals in four games played this year.
This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 6, 2005.