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Marquette Golden Eagles blanked Detroit for more than 30 minutes on Sunday afternoon while scoring four goals of their own along the way and then held on for an 8-6 win over the Titans. The Golden Eagles are now 2-2 on the season.
Well, here’s the good news: Marquette didn’t completely self-destruct in the second half of this game. They managed just one goal in the back ends of their two previous games as Richmond and Ohio State ambled away from them. Here Marquette got two goals after halftime, which passes as good news relative to the last two games. They also limited the Titans to just two goals after halftime, which is also good news.
It was a back and forth game across the first 18 minutes. Kyran Clarke got Marquette on the board to open the game, and Matthew Vangalen answered back less than two minutes later. The Golden Eagles got the next two from Ryan McNamara and Clarke, and then Detroit responded with two of their own. Jack Zerrillo scored before the first quarter horn to put MU up 4-3, but the Titans scored first in the second quarter to even the game at four each.
That’s when Marquette “took over.” I can’t honestly call scoring four goals in a 32 minute stretch legitimately taking over a game, but it did decide the game. Andy DeMichiei scored twice in the second quarter to make it a 6-4 game at halftime, John Wagner got a man-up goal midway through the third, and Joseph Dunn hit the back of the net in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, also on an extra man opportunity. That made it 8-4 with 10:26 to play and somehow Marquette was firmly in control here. Detroit would score two more, one with 7:18 left and one with 2:23 remaining, but Marquette was able to ice the game and get the win from there.
Cole Blazer’s reflexes were on point here, as he made 13 saves to get the win. The junior from Libertyville, IL, had made a career best 18 saves against Ohio State on Friday and was rewarded with a Big East Defensive Player of the Week award for his troubles.
Zachary Melillo returned to action for Marquette here after missing the last three halves of lacrosse. He suffered an injury late in the second quarter against Richmond, missed the second half of that game, and then missed all of Marquette’s outing against Ohio State. Melillo went 10-18 on faceoffs to return to his standard of excellence in that department to help Marquette get the win here.
How about some highlights, courtesy of GoMarquette.com?
Up Next: The Golden Eagles head out on the road for their next game, which will be their final tune-up before the start of Big East play. They’ll take on Robert Morris on Saturday, with face-off set for 11am Central. That is a schedule change, so be sure to adjust your calendars as needed. The Colonials are 4-1 on the season with four straight wins and will visit Georgetown on Tuesday afternoon before returning to Moon Township to host the Golden Eagles.