MSOC Notes - 9.27 Update
Butler 4, Marshall 3 (OT)
The Bulldogs added some theatrics to end the night on a high note at the Sellick Bowl, coming away with a 4-3 overtime win over Marshall in a non-conference match-up. Brandon Guhl scored the second of his two goals in the 100th minute, taking a centering pass from Marco Charalambous and depositing it in the net for the game-winner. With the win, Butler ends a four-match losing streak and improves to 2-5-1 overall.
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Villanova 1, Temple 1
A second-half goal from Yusuf Cueceoglu helped Villanova earn a 1-1 draw at Temple Wednesday night in a match halted after 70 minutes due to thunderstorms in the area. Villanova moved its record to 5-3-1 overall while the Owls are now 3-4-2. Zach Zandi was credited with the helper on Cueceoglu’s 54
th-minute score, while Carson Williams made four saves to earn the draw.
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Wisconsin 1, Marquette 0
Luka Prpa led the Golden Eagles with a pair of shots, but the best chance of the night came from Josh Coan. The junior was on the receiving end of a great ball and great run by Alba, but slid his shot just wide of the far right post in the 77th minute. Marquette (3-6-0) tallied eight-of-nine shots, along with six-of-seven corners kicks, in the final 45 minutes. Wisconsin (4-4-1) ultimately owned the edge in shots with 16. Wisconsin scored the game’s lone goal in the 55
th minute.
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Saturday Matches – Why We’re Watching …
DePaul at Villanova (1 p.m. ET, Villanova.com): The Blue Demons dropped a heartbreaker at Georgetown last Friday, 2-1 in overtime, and have now played three consecutive extra-period contests. The Wildcats scored a 1-1 draw in non-conference action at Temple on Wednesday, but are still in search of their first BIG EAST points. In six meetings since conference realignment, Villanova owns a narrow 3-2-1 advantage in the DePaul series, while the road team has won just one game since 2013. Wildcat and BIG EAST co-leading scorer Zach Zandi has posted 10 of his 13 points this season at the friendly confines of Higgins Soccer Complex, while DePaul goalkeeper Drew Nuelle shows a sharper save percentage on the road (.818) than overall (.778).
#22 Xavier at Providence (1 p.m., BEDN): The nationally ranked Musketeers will maintain a spot in the top two in the BIG EAST standings with a win in Friartown on Saturday, with the potential to move into first place, while PC is looking to break free of the five-team logjam in fourth place. XU has a league-high 44 points and 14 goals on the season, while Simen Hestnes is tied for the BIG EAST lead with 13 points thanks to a conference-high five assists. The Friars are coming off their highest-scoring game of the season, totaling three goals in a win at Butler on Saturday. Gil Santos scored a pair in that match, while Tiago Mendonca has a team-high four scores on the season. The all-time series stands at 3-3-1, with Xavier winning both meetings last year, including the BIG EAST Championship First Round showdown.
Butler at St. John’s (7 p.m., ESPN3): The Bulldogs ended a four-game losing skid with a 4-3 overtime win over Marshall last night, while the Red Storm are unbeaten over their last three, including Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Mount St. Mary’s. Despite leading the all-time series 6-2-1, St. John’s has won just one of the last three against Butler, with each of the last five games being decided by a single goal. Brandon Guhl scored twice last night to bring his season total to a Butler-best five goals and 12 points, while Matt Forster posted a goal and assist on Tuesday to raise his Red Storm-leading marks to 13 points off five goals and three helpers.
Seton Hall at #9 Creighton (8 p.m., BEDN): The nationally ranked Bluejays will look to make it six wins in a row on Saturday when they host Seton Hall. The Pirates had Creighton’s number last year, earning a 2-0 win in South Orange for The Hall’s first top-25 win since 2014. SHU scored two goals in each of its last two victories, including last Saturday’s win over Marquette, but Creighton has allowed just three goals all season for the nation’s fifth-best goals against average (0.365). SHU’s Carlton McKenzie will challenge CU’s Paul Kruse as the junior forward takes a BIG EAST-leading 4.57 shots per game while Kruse shows a league-best .833 save percentage.
RV Georgetown at Marquette (8 p.m., gomarquette.com): The Hoyas are the lone team in the BIG EAST to score at least one goal in every game this season for a total of 14 scores on the year. Derek Dodson leads GU with five goals, while Rio Hope-Gund scored in each of the first two BIG EAST matches of the season. MU is tied for third in the league with 12 goals over nine games, including three in its BIG EAST-opening win on Sept. 15. Marquette has played two starting goalkeepers this season, with Luis Barraza playing all 180 minutes of BIG EAST play, while Cedrik Stern got the nod last night against Wisconsin.
Weekly Schedule
Saturday
DEPAUL at VILLANOVA, 1 p.m.*
#22 XAVIER at PROVIDENCE, 1 p.m. (BEDN)*
BUTLER at ST. JOHN’S (7 p.m.)*
SETON HALL at #9 CREIGHTON, 8 p.m. (BEDN)*
RV GEORGETOWN at MARQUETTE, 8 p.m.*
All times listed are Eastern
*BIG EAST contest