Sept. 4 WSOC at Stanford
Marquette’s toughest test of the season is likely this tilt against 2015 NCAA quarterfinalist Stanford. The Cardinals feature two players on the MAC Hermann Watch List in senior goalkeeper Jane Campbell and junior midfielder Andi Sullivan. Stanford is the defending Pac-12 champion. They won a national title in 2011 after finishing runner-up in 2009 and 2010.
Sept. 11 WSOC at Northwestern
The final non-conference road game is another contest against a 2015 NCAA tournament team. The Wildcats fell in the second round to eventual quarterfinalist West Virginia. Northwestern returns seven starters from a squad that finished fourth in a tough Big Ten. Junior goalkeeper Lauren Clem returns to lead a defense that notched 12 shutouts last season, to go with a .530 goals against average, good for top 10 in the nation.
Sept. 14 MSOC vs. UW-Milwaukee
UW-Milwaukee is the most interesting opponent on a rather pedestrian men’s soccer non-conference schedule. It seems that every year, you can throw out the records for this game. UWM played Marquette to a 1-1 draw last season despite the Panthers going 5-10-3. UWM still holds a comfortable 28 to 11 lead in the cross-town derby, but the Golden Eagles have won two of the last four meetings.
Sept. 16 VB vs. Iowa State
Now that the big match with USC is over with, Iowa State is probably the toughest opponent on Marquette’s schedule. The Cyclones were picked by Big 12 coaches to finish third in a loaded conference, and for good reason. Iowa State finished 19-11 last year against one of the toughest schedules in the country — a schedule that included six matches against Final Four teams Kansas, Texas and reigning national champion Nebraska.
Marquette defeated Iowa State in straight sets last year for what was arguably the most impressive win of the season. Poor hitting held the Cyclones back in that game; they committed 28 errors and posted a hitting percentage of only .077. Now that the Cyclones know what Marquette can do, don’t expect a repeat of last year’s blowout.
Oct. 7 Marquette Madness
The annual kickoff of the men’s and women’s basketball season gets a shot in the arm this year, as it will be a part of homecoming week. The scrimmages are the first chance to check out the 2016-’17 rosters and highly-recruited freshman Markus Howard.
Oct. 8 MSOC vs. Georgetown
A quarterfinal finish at the NCAAs and a BIG EAST Tournament Championship made for a nice 2015 campaign for Georgetown. Despite the Hoyas losing BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Joshua Yaro and leading scorer Brandon Allen, the game will be quite the goalie duel. Marquette’s Wicho Barraza or Mac Wheeeler will face Georgetown’s JT Marcinkowski, last year’s BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
Morgan Proffitt played with the U.S. U-23 squad this summer.
Oct. 16 WSOC vs. Georgetown
The Hoyas tied for second in the BIG EAST last season and earned their fourth straight NCAA tournament bid. This matchup features arguably the two best players in the BIG EAST in Marquette’s Morgan Proffitt and the Hoyas’ 2015 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year Rachel Corboz. The junior is on the MAC Hermann Watch List after finishing third in the BIG EAST in points last season with 28.
Oct. 22 VB vs. Creighton
Creighton has been a bi-annual hurdle that Marquette cannot seem to clear. The Bluejays have beaten the Golden Eagles in five straight matches en route to back-to-back BIG EAST titles. The most recent defeat came in the semifinals of last year’s BIG EAST tournament, which went to five sets before Creighton ultimately prevailed. These two teams will play in Omaha Sept. 23, but the BIG EAST race will probably be much clearer by the time this match comes around, making the Milwaukee match slightly more important.
Nov. 17 MBB vs. Michigan (2K Classic)
Marquette will head to Madison Square Garden to take on the Wolverines. The Golden Eagles hope this year’s game is reminiscent of the team’s last match-up, a 79-65 Marquette victory at the 2009 Old Spice Classic. Both teams have big holes to fill, as Marquette is moving on from Henry Ellenson and Michigan needs to replace now-Brooklyn Net Caris LeVert. The Wolverines are coming off an exit in the round of 32 at the NCAA Tournament.
Nov. 22 WBB at Oregon State
Marquette nearly upset then-No. 7 Oregon State in last season’s matchup. The Golden Eagles led by ten after the third quarter, but couldn’t hang on against the highly touted squad. In retrospect, a victory for the Golden Eagles would have been enormous, as the Beavers went on to make the Final Four in Indianapolis. Oregon State poses a tough challenge for the Golden Eagles on the boards. The Beavers were sixth-best in Division I last season in rebound margin.