Friday’s match against Boston University was hardly Marquette’s most glamorous. BU outshot the Golden Eagles, 25-1. With redshirt junior Carrie Madden sidelined due to a quad injury, the front line struggled to find many opportunities to score or even maintain possession in the attacking third. The Terriers forced Marquette sophomore goalkeeper Maddy Henry to save seven shots — the most in her career during a Marquette victory.
Despite the onslaught from Boston’s offense, the Golden Eagles’ “road warrior” mentality was enough for the 1-0 win at Nickerson Field. Marquette’s only goal came in the 22nd minute on its only shot of the match. Graduate senior Darian Powell dished a perfect cross to freshman Kylie Sprecher, who knocked in a one-touch goal from within the box.
“Obviously we didn’t have a whole lot of attacking,” Marquette head coach Markus Roeders said. “And the one chance that we had, we made it count.”
Marquette would not have another shot opportunity the entire game, nor did they have a corner kick in Friday’s contest compared to BU’s 11. The Terriers also had a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal.
“They kind of came out and surprised us a little bit,” senior defender Madison Dunker said. “Even though we tried to, we just weren’t settling it down and playing our game.”
That energy from the Terriers limited Marquette’s effectiveness making plays in the open field.
“We struggled a little bit just competing and winning 50-50 balls,” Roeders said. “We might have gotten to a couple of passes and then we just couldn’t find the outlet to play that next ball.”
With the win, Marquette’s shutout streak is now up to five games. The last time Henry surrendered a goal was Aug. 20 against Kentucky.
“Anything we would’ve allowed tonight at least would’ve turned into a tie or maybe even giving them the opportunity to win it,” Roeders said. “If we ever needed a shutout, we definitely needed it tonight.”
According to Dunker, the defense will not be dwelling on the streak as the team faces Rhode Island Sunday.
“We try not to think too much about that,” Dunker said. “We can’t get to our heads because if it does, we’ll stop playing our game.”
