The No. 15 Marquette women’s soccer team looks to get past its 1-0 loss to Northwestern when it travels to Minnesota for its first road match of the season.
The Golden Eagles (1-1) suffered their first regular season home loss since 2010 Sunday afternoon when it fell to Northwestern on a defensive breakdown. Through its first two games, Marquette’s opponents are averaging 5.5 shots per game, and only 3.5 on goal, along with 3.5 corner kicks per game. The defense has been strong, but the key will be staying strong for the whole game and not having lengthy lapses.
The Golden Gophers could give Marquette fits on the back line, as Minnesota has scored an astounding 11 goals in its first two games. Minnesota defeated Stetson of the Atlantic Sun Conference 10-0. Sophomore Simone Kolander notched two goals and four assists in the game, and should be a focal point for the Marquette defense.
Minnesota boasts a bevy of weapons, as it returns its top five scorers from the 2013 campaign. Despite the beatdown they gave to Stetson, the Gophers fell to No. 2 Florida State 4-1 in its next game, as the Seminoles managed to subdue the prolific Minnesota offense.
Both sides could have difficulty scoring though, as both Marquette and Minnesota have outstanding goaltenders. Minnesota has the 2013 Big Ten goalkeeper of the year in Tarah Hobbs. Meanwhile, Marquette has junior Amanda Engel, who has been named to numerous All-Big East teams because of her play.
After traveling to Minnesota, the Golden Eagles will return to Valley Fields for a Sunday afternoon matchup against Nebraska.
Nebraska heads into the weekend 1-1 as well. The Cornhuskers kicked off the season with a 4-0 victory against Southern Methodist, but fell to DePaul 1-0.
Nebraska will test Engel just as much as Minnesota will, as the Cornhuskers have a .264 shooting percentage. Comparatively, Marquette has a .136 shooting percentage. Nebraska is returning its leading scorer and four of its top five from last season, so Marquette will be facing a pair of high-powered offenses in the upcoming weekend.
Marquette won its first game thanks to two goals from sophomore forward Darian Powell. Powell sat out the game against Northwestern, and the Golden Eagles couldn’t net a goal. Powell, paired with fellow sophomore Liz Bartels, provides a spark for the Golden Eagle offense and will be key for a successful weekend.
Another spot where Marquette will need to improve is on corner kicks. Marquette went 0-for-10 during the weekend on corner kicks, and the set pieces didn’t produce a serious threat to the opposition. Just getting sustained pressure from corner kicks could greatly help Marquette, especially in matches where goals are going to come often.
Marquette will face two Big Ten teams that have played strong competition early in the season, and will force Marquette to show they deserve the No. 15 ranking. Despite the adversity, the Golden Eagles should come out with two more wins.
