It’s not often you see Morgan Proffitt rivaled as the best player on the field, but her U.S. Women’s National U-23 teammate Rose Lavelle gave her a run for her money Friday night.
It was Lavelle’s goal that ended Marquette’s season, as Wisconsin claimed a 1-0 victory in the first round NCAA Tournament game.
“It hurts right now,” head coach Markus Roeders said. “You don’t like to feel pain for the team and you don’t like to lose for the players, for the seniors. That’s always the hardest part when you get to this point and abruptly your season is over.”
Lavelle opened up a back-and-forth game with a blast from the edge of the box that beat Maddy Henry at the far post. The 30th minute tally was Lavelle’s team-leading sixth goal of the year.
Caroline Fink put the pressure on early for Marquette when she sent a long-range laser on frame that forced Caitlyn Clem into action.
The Golden Eagles’ best chance of the match came in the 36th minute when Darian Powell got in behind the Badger defense. She couldn’t quite control the bouncing ball and Clem was able to come sweep it away.
“Some days it’s just not your day, you know, and I think that kind of happened to us,” Powell said. “We had some chances, you know. Me personally, I had a chance and just couldn’t put it away today. I mean it’s disappointing, but I’m proud of this team and what we’ve done. We’ve had a great year.”
In the final 10 minutes of the match, Leah Celarek gave Clem a challenge on a long ball that was seeking the top left corner of the net. A few minutes later Carrie Madden rose up for a header in the box, but her attempt missed wide. The flurry of chances Marquette usually produces never really came.
“These are never great games,” Roeders said. “Somebody’s going to win at the end but it never turns into a good, entertaining soccer match.”
Marquette finished the season with a 12-8-2 record and a share of the BIG EAST regular season title. The loss dropped them to 9-10-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
