Often, players and coaches talk about must-win situations or games that make or break a season.
The Marquette women’s soccer team continues to prove its staying power with ranked teams. And with No. 11 Connecticut coming to town, coach Markus Roeders is not taking Friday’s match against the Huskies lightly.
“More than anything we need to put a game together that’s really 100 percent efficient on offense and defense,” Roeders said. “If we do that, which we’ve done this year, we’ll be ready for UConn.”
In what has been a disappointing five-game home stand so far for Marquette, the Golden Eagles came to understand the importance of capitalizing on any and all chances they are given.
Senior forward Becky Ryan had a simple answer for what the team must do in order to come away with a victory.
“Scoring goals,” she said. “We’ve struggled a little bit. Sunday we hopefully got over the hump by scoring three goals, so hopefully we’ll carry that into Friday.”
One way Marquette (8-4-1, 2-2-1 Big East) could build momentum going forward would be to knock off Connecticut (9-3-0, 4-1-0 Big East) Friday night at Valley Fields. The Huskies have rolled off three straight wins, outscoring their opponents 8-1 in those matches, and will be one of the Golden Eagles’ toughest opponents to date.
Connecticut sits atop the Big East American Division with 12 points, while the Golden Eagles, also in the American Division, have seven.
“The players know who they’re playing against. They know they’re going to play a good team, and they know what these games mean,” Roeders said. “Playing an opponent within your division has a little extra meaning.”
After being shutout against Pittsburgh and Rutgers in consecutive matches last week, the Golden Eagles found the back of the net three times against Seton Hall Sunday, which will give them confidence going into the weekend.
“Getting a 3-0 victory was big for us, and hopefully that will carry over to the next games and give us the momentum we need going forward,” said freshman midfielder Ashley Stemmeler, who scored her first collegiate goal against the Pirates. “I was very excited to score my first college goal. (The goal) showed we had a stronger win, so that was very exciting, and I was just happy to help the team.”
Stemmeler was the 12th Golden Eagle to notch a goal this season, giving Roeders yet another scoring option.
“Coach definitely looks at everyone and understands that we have a lot of depth on the team,” Stemmeler said. “He knows he can use anyone out there at any time, which makes our team a lot stronger.”
Friday’s match-up will also be Senior Night for eight members of the team.
“We’re definitely going to be fired up,” Ryan said. “UConn is a good Senior Night game for us, because it’s a game we really want to win, and we’re really excited for it.”
Roeders appreciates the hard work and leadership his seniors have given the team and said they deserve a lot of respect because of it.
“I know this team will play for the seniors, because they’ve been like that all year,” he said. “They will rise to the occasion. This is a confident group, they’re excited about it and it’s the best time to play UConn.”
