Sweltering conditions and an aggressive opponent could not stop the Golden Eagles from finishing their opening homestand undefeated. Marquette men’s soccer (2-0) rode the momentum of its win Thursday over Drexel to a commanding 6-1 defeat over Marist (0-2) Sunday afternoon at Valley Fields.

“Coming off of Thursday I wanted to make sure our group doesn’t let down,” head coach David Korn said. “I thought for us there was a lot of really unselfish moments where players made an extra pass and upgraded the quality of the shot. I was pleased that they got rewarded today on the attacking end by making good choices.”

Six goal wealth shared by five players

It was Deja Vu in Valley Fields as Marquette struck first again within an early goal, this time delivered by first-year defender Jack Wandschneider in the seventh minute. The Golden Eagles would head into the locker room up 2-0 after senior midfielder Justin Milovanov snuck the ball past graduate goalkeeper Jamie Lowell in the 27th minute.

7′ Header goal?!

We see you, Jack.#WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/GxITa9v6Rt

— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) August 25, 2024

Junior midfielder Mitar Mitrovic, who is no stranger to scoring for the Golden Eagles, landed their third goal just seven minutes into the second half.

Third-year Wisconsin transfer Mitchell Dryden netted two goals and assisted junior forward Lucas Nesthus’ goal for a three point afternoon.

“It’s everything,” Dryden said. “Switching schools, I think it’s just a big momentum push for me and I’m just happy we got the win of course.”

Having a number of guys who can score at such a high level makes Marquette’s offense a big threat moving forward.

“It’s good to see those guys continue to chip in our first two games,” Korn said. “Hopefully it makes it more difficult for opponents when we have a number of guys that can get on the scoresheet.”

Hot temperatures ignite fire in Marquette

It reached almost 90 degrees at Valley Sunday afternoon, but the temperature was not the only thing rising, as both squads’ foul totals soared as the matched progressed. This combination of heat and aggression forced Marquette to dig deep.

“We always have to put our foot to the gas, we always got to keep going regardless of the team, and regardless of the score because at the end of the day if you’re not attacking you get tired,” Dryden said.

While Marquette would hold Marist scoreless until the 54th minute, a handball by Mitar Mitrovic ended in junior midfielder Skyler Cunha netting Marist’s only goal of the game via penalty kick. That proved to be the fire Marquette needed though, as it scored three unanswered goals to end the match.

“The guys think they’re in a three goal lead and that can sometimes feel like the game is over,” Korn said. “Goes back 3-1 and especially with the heat now they’re getting pretty energetic. We could’ve even conceded again so to respond with a goal and then to respond with the final two, I was really pleased with the mentality of the group.”

Up Next

The Golden Eagles begin their two game road trip on Friday in New Haven against Yale. The game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. CST.

“We know a team like Yale has been in the NCAA tournament and been Ivy League champions, so we want to play those kinds of games,” Korn said. “This is the next challenge and for us it’s the most important game of our season.”

This story was written by Sofie Hanrahan. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @SofieHanrahanMU.