It was a competition of the Eagles, but only one holds “Golden” in its title.

And how golden it was — as Marquette men’s soccer (4-2 -1) claimed victory over Edgewood College (3-2-1) Thursday at Valley Fields 1-0.

Despite being a NCAA Division III program, Edgewood gave Marquette all it could handle.

“I think it was different to have to really be dynamic with how we attacked [and] really be unpredictable at certain moments,” head coach David Korn said. “I thought they were well organized. It was a challenging game for us.”

A Brink-less night

It was the first game this season where first-year goalkeeper Marten Brink didn’t start in net for the Golden Eagles. In turn, it was first-year Cameron Simpson was in neon green at the net for the Golden Eagles.

Simpson had two shots on goal thrown at him (four total) and was able to fulfill his role, saving all, leaving Edgewood scoreless. 

“The last five minutes got very intense, so it was hard to switch back out after not having much [of] a day for 85 minutes, but luckily all went well,” Simpson said.

The Marquette defense made sure to do its job to aid Simpson, as it kept the ball on the opposite side of the field for much of the match.

The Golden Eagles ended the game with 10 shots total, six of those being on net.

“Really proud of Cameron, he did a great job of being ready and I think it speaks volumes to that whole group as a whole [goalkeepers]” Korn said.

Second half game

It wasn’t until the 56th minute that the Golden Eagles put themselves on the board. The shot had potential to be overturned as Edgewood junior goalkeeper Maverick Van Laanen went down with the shot.

The call fell in Marquette’s favor, as it was senior midfielder Justin Milovanov’s third goal of the season that would end up being the difference.

56′ | MU – 1 | EC – 0

Opportunity found✅#WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/VcHjcu4Ku9

— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) September 13, 2024

“I just followed it and luckily the opportunity presented itself to me and I just took it,” Milovanov said.

Whether it was saves, steals, or aggression, it didn’t matter that Edgewood wasn’t Division I, as it made sure to prove that its defense could keep up with Marquette.

“They got a lot of bodies behind the ball,” Milovanov said. “Kudos to them.”

Up next

On Sunday, the Golden Eagles will travel to the Windy City where they will face the University of Illinois Chicago. The match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. CST.

“We have to keep growing and playing our best game,” Korn said. “I think right now we just need to make sure we have the right recovery and the right preparation in the next two days and we bring the right energy and intensity.”

This recap was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuiz.