Marquette Men’s Soccer Claims A Spot In The Big East Tournament!

The best way to talk about what happened to Marquette men’s soccer on Wednesday is chronological order.

• Butler and Xavier kicked off their match in Indianapolis, where Marquette needed Xavier to win to help them get into the Big East tournament.
• Brandon Guhl scored in the 9th minute to put Butler up, but Samson Sergi leveled the match at 1-1 in the 33rd minute. That score would last until halftime.
• Marquette and DePaul kicked off in Chicago, where the Blue Demons were eliminated from postseason contention, but Marquette needed a win and help from either Xavier or Villanova to get in to the conference tournament.
• Wilmer Cabrera, Jr., scored for Butler in the 52nd minute, putting the Bulldogs up 2-1.
• Marquette and DePaul played a scoreless first half. It felt like Marquette was dominating possession for most of the first 45 minutes, but the two teams ended up tied in shots, 6-6, as they went to the locker room.
• The Butler-Xavier match went final with the Bulldogs taking the three points and the win. One of MU’s two avenues to the postseason was now closed, and the Golden Eagles still needed to find a way to help themselves.
• Manuel Cukaj and Lukas Sunesson did THIS in the 62nd minute:

• Marquette definitively controlled the remainder of the match, outshooting the Blue Demons 11-2 in the second half and secured their eighth win of the year overall and fourth in league play. It was also their first win at DePaul’s Wish Field since 2002 thanks to the weirdness of divisional play in the previous incarnation of the Big East.
• Villanova and Seton Hall kicked off their match in South Orange. The Wildcats came in sitting in last place in the league and out of postseason contention, but held the ability to put Marquette in the field with a win. The Pirates would secure their own spot in the six team tournament with a draw or win.
• After a scoreless first half where SHU dominated the shots, 8-4, Theo Quartey and Shane Bradley did THIS for Villanova in the 55th minute:

• Villanova held on for just their second win in league play this season. Seton Hall was eliminated, and Marquette snagged the #6 seed in the Big East tournament as a result.

WOO GO WILDCATS, etc.

Up Next: Well, it’s the Big East tournament, obviously. Marquette will travel to Rhode Island for their quarterfinal contest where they will face #3 seed Providence on Saturday at 11am Central. The winner will advance to the semifinals where they will get a crack at #2 seed St. John’s. Marquette lost 2-0 at Providence earlier this season in a match where Manuel Cukaj was red carded in the 10th minute. Not necessarily a fair example of how these two sides square up, so we’ll see what happens!