Entering the 2018 season, Marquette knew this non-conference schedule was not going to be easy.
“Our schedule is extremely ambitious,” head coach Markus Roeders told the Wire before the season. “This may be among the most competitive non-conference schedules that we’ve had in some time.”
But even Roeders likely didn’t expect this rough of a start, going 0-3-1 following a 2-0 loss to No. 12 Duke Thursday night in Durham, North Carolina.
The Golden Eagles initially appeared to be in position to leave Thursday’s contest with a draw. Despite a bombardment of shots from Duke’s offense, the match was scoreless for most of the match. At halftime, the Blue Devils had a 13-1 shot advantage but did not convert on any of them. Marquette junior goalkeeper Maddy Henry had six saves in the first half. Redshirt senior Carrie Madden had Marquette’s only shot of the half.
But Henry could only hold back the Blue Devils for so long. After 17 unsuccessful Duke shots, Duke junior Ella Stevens found freshman Mackenzie Pluck, who hit the upper right corner of the net in the 68th minute.
Less than five minutes later, Stevens went from the an assisting role to scoring role, hitting a cross from 19 yards out.
While the score was just 2-0, Duke had plenty of opportunities to make the margin even wider. The Blue Devils finished with a 22-4 shot advantage, a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal.
The Golden Eagles have been outshot in all four games this season. The 0-3-1 start to the year is the team’s worst since 1993, the team’s inaugural season.
Roeders’ team will not have long to dwell on this loss, taking on No. 3 North Carolina Sunday.
