Both an expected and a very necessary result for the Golden Eagles.
Let’s just get the basics out of the way: Marquette women’s soccer wrecked Mercyhurst on Thursday evening. The Golden Eagles won by a score of 4-0, and after 90 minutes, they had outshot the visiting Lakers 24-2. Mercyhurst didn’t even get a shot off until the match was over an hour old, and MU keeper Chloe Olson stopped both of their attempts.
Here are the MU goals. Tess O’Connell’s first goal in a Marquette uniform, coming in the 16th minute.
20′ | MU – 1 | MERCY – 0 | Tess O’Connell’s first goal with Marquette gives MU early lead. pic.twitter.com/guYEedxrZO
— MARQUETTE Soccer (@MarquetteWSOC) September 12, 2024
Ball came to her, shot it at open space, great work, no notes.
20th minute: Carly Christopher catches a break as a Mercyhurst defender pops her shot into the air instead of deflecting it away.
35′ | MU-2 | Mercy-0 | Carly Christopher’s first-career goal extends Marquette’s lead. pic.twitter.com/5YSgDPHq7P
— MARQUETTE Soccer (@MarquetteWSOC) September 12, 2024
50th minute: O’Connell’s in the right place at the right time again and bops home a corner kick.
60′ | MU – 3 | Mercy -0 | O’Connell second goal extends Marquette’s lead. pic.twitter.com/eF2ZL7vxxe
— MARQUETTE Soccer (@MarquetteWSOC) September 12, 2024
Well, okay, that’s most of the goals. I’m writing this in the immediate aftermath of the match, and the social media team for MU hasn’t posted Bisko’s 86th minute goal. Fair play, y’all.
Anyway, you get the idea. Final tally on corner kicks: Marquette 18, Mercyhurst 2.
Here’s the deal: Mercyhurst is in their first year in Division 1. This game went about like every one of their other games have gone. That’s not to dismiss Marquette’s effort here, because the Golden Eagles still had to execute to get it there. And that’s really the point: Marquette needed to have a game like this against the Lakers. Head coach Chris Allen was very not pleased with his team’s effort against #9 Notre Dame on Sunday, and they very much needed to mop the field with Mercyhurst in this one after Allen’s incredibly strong words. Marquette is now 2-5-1 on the season with the win, which does help explain why Allen was feeling the way he was feeling as well.
Up Next: Crosstown rivalry time! Milwaukee comes over to Valley Fields on Sunday afternoon. First kick against the Panthers is scheduled for 4pm Central time. UWM is 1-5-0 on the season, and as I type this, they are 16 minutes into a home match against Harvard, and things are still scoreless.