| October 31, 2012
EAGLES ON THE MOVE
Marquette advances to Big East quarterfinals
MILWAUKEE – Marquette, the No. 4 seed in the Blue Division, scored twice in the first half Wednesday night en route to a 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats (No. 5 Red) in the first round of the BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship.
It was the tenth shutout of the season for MU redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Charlie Lyon, matching the program’s single-season record set by Steve McCullough in 1994, as the Golden Eagles remained unbeaten on their home pitch through 11 matches in 2012.
MU struck first, following a flurry of activity in front of goal in the 21st minute. Kelmend Islami first had a shot blocked by a defender followed by a quick rebound and shot by Eric Pothast that deflected off Cincinnati goalkeeper Taylor Hafling. MU retained possession, leading to a serve by junior Paul Dillon from 30 yards on the right side of the field that connected with redshirt freshman Axel Sjoberg who headed it into the left corner of the net from the top of the six-yard box to give MU a 1-0 lead.
Sjoberg, a 6-foot-7 central defender, has tallied the opening score in the last three matches for the Golden Eagles and now has seven goals this season.
MU made it 2-0 in the 42nd minute, when sophomore winger Sebastian Jansson served the ball from near the end line on the left side to Islami on the far post. Islami received it with his back to the goal, turned his defender and volleyed the bouncing ball inside the right post.
The Golden Eagles enjoyed a bulk of the possession, and Cincinnati didn’t register their first shot on goal until the 48th minute. Bearcats midfielder Emmanuel Appiah unleashed a shot from distance that resulted in a leaping save by Lyon.
Senior Andy Huftalin closed out the scoring in the 82nd minute, with his team-leading 10th goal of the season. Huftalin flicked it past the keeper on the near post to give MU a 3-0 lead after taking a pass from Islami from the right corner of the box.
The victory sends Marquette (15-2-1) to the quarterfinal round of the BIG EAST tourney for the third consecutive year. The Golden Eagles will face the nationally ranked Louisville Cardinals, the top seed in the Red Division, on Saturday, Nov. 3, in Louisville, Ky.
Cincinnati is eliminated from the postseason with the loss and finishes the 2012 campaign with an overall record of 6-9-4.
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