Carrie Madden played hero once again for the BIG EAST regular season champion Marquette Golden Eagles. She scored two goals, the second of which was a bicycle kick winner in overtime, to knock off St. John’s in the BIG EAST conference tournament semifinal, 2-1.
After the match, BIG EAST Digital Network’s John Fanta asked Madden how she did it.
“I have absolutely no idea,” Madden said.
St. John’s took the lead in the 29th minute when Shea Connors played through a Cali Pyzdrowski challenge and fired the ball into the far corner of the net.
Madden answered back just six minutes later when she beat two defenders to a Liz Bartels cross to make it 1-1 just before halftime.
A scoreless second half sent the BIG EAST conference semifinal to overtime.
Six minutes into the first overtime period, Madison Dunker played a long, high ball into the 18-yard-box. The ball took a high bounce after a defender got a piece of it. Madden lined it up with her back to the goal and swung her right foot at the ball, catching an unsuspecting Diana Poulin off guard and beating her at the far post.
GOLDEN GOAL!!!
An AMAZING game-winner sends @MUWomensSoccer to the #BIGEASTwsoc Title Game. #SCTop10 https://t.co/CrQpVNOXpV
— BIG EAST Conference (@BIGEAST) Nov. 4, 2016
“That’s like a movie kind of thing,” Madden told Fanta.
The goal was Madden’s career-high, team-leading sixth goal of the season.
Freshman goalkeeper Maddy Henry was credited with just two saves, but she thwarted a number of quality chances by aggressively taking the ball off the feet of Red Storm attackers.
“We’re just elated to move forward,” head coach Markus Roeders told Fanta. “It was a grinder today.”
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Diana Poulin allowed just 11 goals this season. Marquette scored four of those goals.
Since their BIG EAST opening loss to Creighton, Marquette is 8-1-0, outscoring opponents 16-7 over that stretch.
In Sunday’s BIG EAST tournament championship game the Golden Eagles will take on the winner of the afternoon’s Georgetown vs. DePaul game. Kickoff in the championship match is set for noon central time at Georgetown’s Shaw Field.
