It was a back and forth game between Marquette and Villanova, but a goal from junior midfielder Blaine Fleming with two minutes left was enough to get the Golden Eagles their eighth win of the season.
The two teams were fairly matched the entire game, which featured eight ties and neither team holding more than a one-goal lead. After Matt McIver scored for Villanova to tie things up at 8, the Golden Eagles enjoyed a long possession, fueled by a delayed penalty on the Wildcats. Fleming found some open space for a midrange shot, which found the back of the net up high.
It is the second time Fleming has scored the game-winner for the Golden Eagles, as he also scored the final goal in the season opener against Hofstra.
The Wildcats had one final opportunity to force overtime, but redshirt junior defenseman BJ Grill forced a turnover and successful cleared the ball as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
“I said ‘you guys never got so high or low today,'” Amplo said. “We didn’t play perfect. I don’t think we played unbelievable. We played well enough to win and just make one more play than Villanova did.”
Marquette won despite being without leading scorer graduate student attackman Jordan Greenfield, who was suspended due to his ejection at the end of the Georgetown game. Stepping up in his absence was redshirt junior midfielder Kyle Whitlow, who led the team with three goals. Junior attackman Connor Gately and Fleming each had two goals. Sophomore attackman Joe Dunn, who started in Greenfield’s place, had two assists. Sophomore goalie Jimmy Danaher made 10 saves in the win.
“It was a great opportunity for us to beat a very good team that’s been one of the team’s that I consider the class of the Big East the past five to seven years,” Amplo said. “We’re trying to catch them.”
The Golden Eagles struggled slowing down Villanova attackman Johnny Galloway, who scored four goals. Freshman faceoff man Luke Palmadesso also had a successful day, winning 15 of the 21 faceoffs. Redshirt junior K.C. Kennedy won the other six for Marquette.
The victory is Marquette’s first over Villanova, who defeated the Golden Eagles in both the regular season and Big East tournament last season. It also pushes the Golden Eagles to .500 all-time, with a 19-19 record. Marquette is now 8-1 this season, and earned a much-needed first win in the Big East following the team’s loss to Georgetown last week.
“We had our first hiccup last week,” Gately said. “It was a huge test to see how we battle adversity and how we react to a loss.”
“After last week it was definitely a weird feeling,” Danaher said. “We bounced back all week. It feels great to get back on track, especially in the Big East.”
“This isn’t a Cinderella season,” Gately said. “It’s culture setting.”
The Golden Eagles will be back in action on Tuesday against the Bellarmine Knights, a team Marquette has beaten each season of its existence. Bellarmine (2-5) has struggled this season, and lost today to a Mercer team that Marquette defeated 14-6 earlier this month. It will be the final game in the Golden Eagles ten game home streak.
