The Marquette men’s soccer team has accomplished what many in the past thought was impossible: it has qualified for the Big East Tournament.
The Golden Eagles have endured a lot of ups and downs since joining the Big East five years ago but with a 5-0 victory over Pittsburgh Saturday, the team enters the Big East Tournament for the first time ever. And for senior Billy Von Rueden, earning a place in the tournament has been a long time coming.
“Words can’t describe how it feels to end this way at home,” Von Rueden said after the match. “All the hard work has paid off tonight. The 5 a.m. workouts … it’s all paid off. We’re going into the tournament with the belief that we can continue this winning streak.”
Von Rueden gave credit to coach Louis Bennett who has led his team through it all this season.
“It really starts with coach and the perseverance continues through the whole team,” Von Rueden said.
Goals from Amilcar Herrera, Ryan Robb and a hat-trick by forward Chris Madsen earned the Golden Eagles their largest margin of victory over a Big East opponent. Von Rueden was pleased with what he saw from the team but didn’t believe it was Marquette’s best result.
“It was a very, very good performance,” he said. “I know that we’ve played extremely well against teams that we’ve tied and even lost to. But without a doubt offensively it was one of the best games I’ve ever seen for sure.”
This season, the Golden Eagles won three games in the Big East, which is the most ever in a single season, and squeaked out two important draws against Big East powerhouses Louisville and South Florida. Marquette and South Florida will now face off again in the first round of the Big East Tournament on Thursday.
As important as this win and tournament seeding were for the players, they were just as important for Bennett, who has managed only six wins in the past three years. Bennett believes that inclusion in the tournament proves how advanced the squad has become.
“It’s a huge stepping stone for our program,” Bennett said. “We did our homework and it came to fruition. I’m really proud of the guys. I’m certainly proud of the seniors. They’ve had to endure some really tough times.”
Madsen was proud of the team and especially the seniors for making it into the tournament. His performance tied him for the most amount of goals scored by a Golden Eagle in a single game at Valley Fields and earned him a spot on College Soccer News’ National Team of the Week. Madsen said that after his recent dip in form it was a huge boost.
“Maybe it was being humbled a little bit by coaching telling me that it wasn’t good enough,” he said. “I had a good talk with my dad and he told me to just put my heart into it and I just had to do it tonight.”
Bennett is confident of the team’s chances in the tournament especially after what he considered was the most explosive showing he has ever seen out of the Golden Eagles.
