Marquette looks to continue its four game unbeaten streak when it hosts Northern Illinois tonight.
The Huskies come into the game with a 3-1 record, but have struggled in the scoring department. They’ve only scored one goal in each of their four matches, which could make for a good matchup for the Golden Eagles, who have excelled on offense this season. However, it also means that the Huskies have quite the defensive unit to deal with.
“They’re winning 1-0, but that means they aren’t giving goals away,” said head coach Louis Bennett. “It’s been a really stingy team in terms of giving opportunities to the other team. You’ve got to beat NIU, they’re not going to beat themselves.”
The low scoring start to the season continues a trend NIU set last year. The Huskies scored more than two goals only twice last season.
“Stats don’t really matter,” said freshman goalkeeper Luis “Wicho” Barraza. “What really matters is on the field. The stats are not going to win the game. They aren’t going to predict any outcome.”
The face of the Huskies’ defensive unit is sophomore Luke Read, who leads the team with two goals on the season. Last week he was named the co-Mid-American Conference Player of the Week and was on Top Drawer Soccer’s team of the week.
“Traditionally, they’ve been good on set pieces, corners (and) long throws,” Bennett said. “They play deep and rely on you giving the ball back to them.”
Last season the Golden Eagles defeated the Huskies 2-0 on the road. Bennett said after the game that Northern Illinois is one of the toughest locations for the team to play. He’s happy that this year’s matchup is at Valley Fields.
“We know what to expect from the surroundings,” Bennett said. “They play so tough there. It’s a really difficult situation. I think the playing field is level now that we are at home.”
Marquette is receiving four votes in in the NSCAA poll this week, still looking to gain national recognition this season. There are two BIG EAST rivals ranked ahead of them, No.1 Creighton and fellow unranked Georgetown.
The two teams will kick things off at 7 p.m. The match is the last chapter of a three game home stand for the club. Marquette won’t play another game at Valley Fields until October 10.
