Sept. 16, 2005

It was the start of a beautiful relationship.

The Marquette women’s soccer team, now one of the perennial powerhouses in the Big East and the two-time defending American Division champion, recorded its first ever win in the conference with a 4-1 victory over South Florida.

The victory was one of the most historic in Marquette history. It was, in fact, the school’s first win of any kind in the Big East. Marquette was previously a member of Conference USA.

Forward Christy Zwolski scored two goals and assisted on another for the No. 17 Golden Eagles, who got out to a 1-0 lead in the opening period and never let off the brake, scoring the fourth and final goal with 50 seconds left in the match.

It was a statement game for a team that would morph from starry-eyed rookie to conference juggernaut in just a few short years.

Of course, all of this seems like eons ago, with Marquette athletics now synonymous with the Big East. But this day in history should never be forgotten, as it was a precursor to the dominance of one of the country’s elite soccer programs, as well as the unofficial coming out party for Marquette in a new conference.

Hello, Big East. We’re Marquette. And we’re not going anywhere.