Carrie Madden has been a focal point of Marquette’s offense in October, scoring five of the team’s nine goals in the month entering play Sunday.
But with the season on the line, she switched roles from star to supporting actor, assisting on two of Marquette’s three goals in a 3-0 shutout of Xavier in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals.
“Being in the attack, you have to create goals either for yourself or for other people,” Madden said. “So whoever puts it in the back of the net, as long as it’s our team, I’m happy.”
Madden’s first assist came in the 11th minute after finding freshman forward Kylie Sprecher on the left side. Sprecher then headed the ball into the right corner of the net.
“I cut in, hit the ball to the far post and then Kylie (had) a great header,” Madden said. “That was awesome.”
Beard scored her first goal in the 51st minute. Following well-placed passes from Caroline Fink and Carrie Madden, Beard fired a shot from about 10 yards out despite three nearby Xavier defenders.
“Fink was able to slip me through on the left side and I just split it across,” Madden said. “Darian (Powell) was in the middle, she shielded it for (Beard) and Eli (Beard) was wide open.”
Beard’s other goal came in the 71st minute on another shot from within the 18-yard box. Beard’s first career two-goal game coincided with most likely her final match at Valley Fields. Marquette could play another home match in the BIG EAST Tournament if the Golden Eagles beat the Hoyas and sixth-seeded St. John’s beats second-seeded Butler.
“For our seniors, they don’t know if they’re going to get another chance (to play at Valley),” head coach Markus Roeders said. “They’ve played a huge part really down our spine from the backline to the midfield, to the front line.”
The win is Maddy Henry’s fifth shutout in the last seven matches. The sophomore goalkeeper has been the x-factor for many of Marquette’s games so far. She has given up two goals in Marquette’s 13 victories, as opposed to 21 goals in six losses.
Roeders and company will travel to top-seeded Georgetown Thursday for the BIG EAST semifinals. Marquette lost to Georgetown, 3-0, earlier this year and has not taken down the Hoyas in Washington, D.C. since 2010. The Golden Eagles also lost to Georgetown 2-0 in the BIG EAST Championship game last season.
Heading into Thursday, Marquette will know what to expect against the Hoyas and are wanting revenge.
“We need to be more solid through the back and midfield,” Madden said. “Playing our game, being able to possess them and not letting them dictate the pace of the game.”
“Georgetown is going to ask every little bit of us,” Roeders said. “It’s going to be a tough road, but in one-off games, anything can happen.”
Marquette now has three wins against teams currently in the top 100 of RPI. Aside from its two wins against Xavier, Marquette took down Louisville on the road Aug. 27. With their RPI sitting at no. 52 as of last Sunday, a win against Georgetown would likely ensure an at-large bid.
“Everything is on the line right now,” Madden said. “Every game could be our last one, so (we’re) just trying to put everything on the field and just keep going as far as we can.”
