It’s almost inevitable that graduate student forward Brooklyn Merl will score every time he plays.
Even though it wasn’t the game-winner, Merl’s goal doubled Marquette men’s soccer’s lead and helped ensure a 6-0 victory over Detroit Mercy (0-3) Friday night at Valley Fields.
“We did an okay job in the first half, and then we adjusted in the second half,” Marquette head coach Louis Bennett said. “I thought the strikers, I thought the midfield players did a really nice job. Defensively, we’ve been trying (to get) the elusive clean sheet, no goals, now we’ve got two of them.”
The Golden Eagles (3-0) continue their undefeated streak at home.
.@marquettesoccer stays undefeated after picking up a commanding 6-0 victory over Detroit Mercy on Friday night. #musoccer
Watch the game highlights here: pic.twitter.com/7P5jRCY8qX
— MUTV (@marquetteutv) September 2, 2023
Keeping the streak
Merl lived up to his Big East Player of the Week honors, continuing to average a goal a game this season after another appearance on the scoresheet.
In the 54th minute, Merl slotted the ball past the goalkeeper and into the lower-right part of the net to give the Golden Eagles a 2-0 lead.
The goal means that Merl has scored in each of Marquette’s first three games of the season.
Statistical Leaders
Senior forward Noah Madrigal led the Golden Eagles with two goals, one assist, five shots and four shots on target.
Sophomore goalkeeper Ludvig Malberg totaled five saves and earned his second shutout in a row.
Detroit Mercy sophomore forward Guershom Sylvain took four shots, two of which forced a reaction from Malberg.
Fast Start
The Golden Eagles opened the match with fast tempo, scoring almost immediately.
In the third minute, junior forward Abdoul Karim Pare scored his first goal of the season and put Marquette ahead 1-0.
“We were very physical and strong,” Karim Pare said. “My teammate told me I just have to shoot, and take my chances. That’s where I do my best and just show it.”
Detroit Mercy gathered its bearings, and sophomore goalkeeper Quinn Tews fended off multiple Marquette shots to maintain a one-goal deficit heading into the locker room.
Strong Closeout
The Golden Eagles finished the game about as well as they could hope for, with four goals in the span of eight minutes.
Madrigal scored two goals in three minutes, with one coming from the penalty spot. Sophomore forward Lucas Nesthus and first-year forward Antonio Costabile also joined in the scoring spree, each netting one and adding to the scoresheet.
“We put the third goal in, everyone started to get hungry,” Bennett said. “The fact that we scored six goals, with a wide array of players, we played almost our entire healthy squad.”
Up Next
Marquette continues its home stretch against Harvard (0-0-1) Sept. 4 at Valley Fields. Kick-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST.
This article was written by Mikey Severson. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X @MSeversonMU.
