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For the first time in program history, Marquette's men's soccer team has advanced to the Big East semifinals. The Blue Division 4th seeded Golden Eagles got two first half goals and held on for a 2-1 win against Louisville, the #1 seed in the Red Division.
The win is Marquette's 16th on the season, which ties an all time high. It's the first time that the Golden Eagles have beaten the Cardinals since 2005, and the first victory in the Bluegrass State since 2001.
Axel Sjoberg started things off in the 35th minute when he used his size advantage to head home a Paul Dillon free kick. Bryan Ciesiulka followed that up in the 45th minute when his free kick from about 30 yards out went bouncing through the box and past Louisville keeper Mike Mauro.
Things got interesting in the second half for Marquette, as Louisville poured the pressure on. Keeper Charlie Lyon had to make seven saves on eleven Cardinals shots to keep Marquette in the lead. It might have been Lyon's teammates who made the biggest save of the match. After Lyon tipped a free kick over the top of the crossbar, Marquette cleared the ball off the line on the ensuing corner kick.
In the 85th minute, Will Vitalis found Zach Foxhoven with a cross to get Louisville on the board. The Cardinal Park crowd went understandably bananas, but their sudden burst of energy was not enough to propel the Cardinals to get an equalizer to force extra time.
Up Next: A rematch with Georgetown on Friday in Red Bull Arena in one of two Big East semifinals matches. The time is yet to be determined, but the match will be televised on CBS Sports Network.