Comeback Kids: Marquette Rallies Twice To Defeat Detroit

Hayley Baas scored four times and Anna Muzika found the back of the net with 1:11 remaining as Marquette came back from a five goal deficit to defeat Detroit yesterday at Valley Fields by a final score of 11-10. The win is Marquette's first ever home win in program history, and pulls the Golden Eagles back to a .500 record at 2-2.

Things started off shaky for the Golden Eagles. The Titans hit the back of the net inside of the first minute of the game, and were up 4-0 before eight minutes had elapsed on goals from four different players. Kenzie Brown broke Marquette onto the board with an unassisted goal, but Michaela Schwartz picked up her second goal of the match just 20 seconds later to get the Detroit lead back to four goals. That's when MU coach Meredith Black made a gut decision. She pulled goalie Sarah Priem in favor of backup Emma Salter. Now, the decision looked a little shaky early, because Salter let another goal in to make it 6-1. But Salter made 4 saves over the rest of the half while shutting the Titans out to steady the defensive end for MU. With that steady defensive end, MU got things going on offense, posting three goals, including two from Baas, to make it 6-4 at the intermission.

The second half of Coach Black's decision came into effect after intermission as she sent Priem back out there after the break. MU had their scoring rhythm going and popped two goals into the net in short order to pull things even at six. But the Titans got two goals from Taynib Hamze about a minute apart on either side of a Claire Costanza tally for MU to give Detroit an 8-7 lead. Things slowed down from there while Detroit added two more goals to take a 10-7 lead with just over 13 minutes left, leaving things looking grim for Marquette, at least until Baas scored her fourth goal just 12 seconds later to cut the lead to just 2.

Brown's second got MU within one, and with just under 6 minutes to go, Nicole Gleason got a goal on a free position restart - her first of the season without an assist from Costanza - to tie the game up and make things interesting again. As the clock ticked closer and closer to the end of regulation, Marquette had two goals waved off, leaving Coach Black falling to her knees in frustration. That's when Muzika played hero with just 71 seconds left and gave the Golden Eagles their first lead of the game and in Valley Fields history. MU won the ensuing draw and killed off the clock to wrap up the first home win in program history!

How about some highlights along with comments from Coach Black and co-captain Emily Donovan, who scored the goal to pull MU even at 6?

Up Next: Spring Break for Marquette means California road trip for women's lacrosse. They'll play three games out west, starting with St. Mary's (1-2) next Sunday.