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Off the opening kick against the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday, C. Nortey roared down the field, but his cross was cut down by Hoosiers goalie Colin Webb. The next 20 minutes did not go as well for Marquette, as the Hoosiers recorded the next five shots of the game. The Golden Eagles would eventually turn the tide in their favor, but in the 32nd minute, IU's Tanner Thompson fired a shot off which was deflected by MU keeper Charlie Lyon. He couldn't keep control of it, though, and Michael Riedford cleaned up the mess for the lone goal of the game.
The Hoosiers would outshoot Marquette 11-4 in the opening half. MU tightened things up in the second half, but Indiana still took a 6-5 advantage, and forced Lyon to make three saves to try to keep Marquette within striking distance. Marquette found themselves without the services of Martin Alba, Alex McBride, and Luis Trude for this match, which caused a bit of a tumult in the lineup. Sebastian Jansson started the game at left back, while Jake Taylor moved up to midfield. Head coach Louis Bennett also only made four substitutions in the game, including the collegiate debut of Driton Zyjeta.
The 0-2-0 start is the worst start for the Golden Eagles since they opened up 1-4-1 back in 2009. It is potentially distressing that through 180 minutes, Marquette is suddenly struck by the same problem they had last year, namely only C. Nortey is capable of putting the ball into the net on a regular basis.
Up Next: After starting the season on the road, Marquette is back in the friendly confines of the Valley on Friday for the home opener. Gonzaga (0-1-0) will provide the opposition as part of the UWM Panther Invitational, and if you have a good reason why UWM's tournament is being played in the Valley, I'd like to hear it.