Marquette women’s soccer’s four-game winning streak ended Sunday, when the team fell short 3-2 at Illinois State as part of a 1-1 overall weekend. Marquette defeated Colgate 1-0 at Valley Fields Friday night.
Senior defender Emily Jacobson scored both of Marquette’s goals during Sunday’s loss, and freshman defender Morgan Proffitt notched her first collegiate goal in the shutout win over Colgate.
Senior midfielder Maegan Kelly, who assisted Proffitt’s goal, is now tied as the program’s all-time leading assister.
The No. 22 Golden Eagles hosted a Colgate team that had allowed only one goal in its five matches. Marquette found difficulty converting on through-passes and fired off 21 shots compared to the Raiders’ six. It would turn out, however, that Proffitt’s header from Kelly’s corner kick in the 7th minute was all the team needed.
The Golden Eagles knew heading into the match that Colgate, with a record of 4-1, would cause a certain level of frustration.
“We knew in the second half that we needed to go at them and keep the ball a little bit more,” Proffitt said. “We had a lot of opportunities, but the keeper made a lot of really good saves. They were a little bit meaner than I thought, which is fine because we went to that level too, I thought.”
A player scoring her first collegiate goal is a milestone moment, and Kelly believed it was simply a matter of time before Proffitt found her chance.
“(Proffitt), being a freshman, she’s come in and stepped into a huge role,” Kelly said. “She’s learning every day and she’s improved tremendously since day one, as a player, as a person. She’s a playmaker on the field.”
In Sunday’s match, Marquette would need to fight from a 3-0 deficit. Illinois State made quick work of its offense, scoring their three goals by the 28th minute.
Jacobson scored her first goal of the day on a penalty kick as halftime loomed to cut the margin to two and scored again in the 78th minute on an assist from junior midfielder Mary Luba. Illinois State, which improved to 4-4 with the victory, stiffened its defense and managed to hold off the Golden Eagles despite a barrage of 14 shots in the second frame.
Marquette once again maintained a great advantage in shots, outshooting the Redbirds 23-10.
“We did everything but perform in the first 30 minutes, and we laid an egg,” coach Markus Roeders said. “After 30 minutes we woke up and put ourselves in the position to claw and scratch back into it. We created enough opportunities to score four or five, but we were only able to finish one.”
Whether trying to hold on to a close lead or storming a comeback, Proffitt said the team needs to keep focused in late-game situations.
“It’s very important, especially as a defender,” Proffitt said. “With two minutes left, I can’t make stupid fouls that lead to kicks that obviously (could make them) score, so I definitely have to keep my composure and make sure we’re all marking up and staying tight and those types of things so they don’t get easy goals.”
Marquette, now sporting a 5-3 record, will have the entire week to practice in preparation for two key rivalry matches. Former Big East member Louisville, which is participating in the American Athletic Conference this season, comes to town Saturday, and the Golden Eagles play at UW-Milwaukee Monday.
