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Men’s soccer draws the Milwaukee Cup 1-1 for the second year in a row

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It was a revenge game waiting to happen, as crosstown rival Milwaukee (5-2-4, 1-2-1) made the quick trip over to Valley Fields Tuesday evening.

Marquette men’s soccer (6-4-2, 2-1) hosted the 50th Milwaukee Cup, and looked poised to keep the trophy in its grasps.

In the end though, it was deja vu all over again from the 2023 match-up, as the game ended in a 1-1 draw for its second consecutive year. However, the draw meant Marquette was able to keep the cup on its side of the city for the third consecutive year.

“It’s our first opportunity to win a trophy, so I think our performance, kind of keeping the trophy, earning it with a good result was something that is the primary [aspiration],” head coach David Korn said.

A slow start

Both sides were quiet for the majority of the first half.

The only time the ball saw the back of the net, was in the 35th minute of the game, when the Panthers’ sophomore forward Mesfin Roda scored.

The Golden Eagles only had three shots attempted by the end of the half while the Panthers came away with six, Roda taking three of those.

“I thought for as much as we had the ball, being in the final third, I think we needed to have created even a few more chances,” Korn said.

Marquette had five corner kick opportunities, yet were unable to benefit from any of the chances they got.

Despite the offense being unable to make anything land, both teams ran alongside each other playing at the same intensity. They both ended the half with four fouls and two saves each.

Locker draws the tie

It was an unassisted goal from first-year midfielder Grant Locker that tied the game for the Golden Eagles.

The ball was tipped off by one of UW-Milwaukee’s players who looked to save it, but forced it into the net.

“We’ve been looking forward to this game all season, this is the game that we wanted to win,” Locker said. “I feel like its a good game to get my first goal in.”

Multiple players were able to take shots for Marquette as it ended with nine shots on the night. Both senior forward Abdoul Karim Pare and Locker were among the Golden Eagles’ shot leaders, ending with three shots apiece, two being on goal.

“Because of my teammates, I think we were able to move the ball quick,” Pare said. “I think our movement off and on the ball was great, so it’s easy to find each other.”

Up next

The Golden Eagles will continue Big East play as they welcome Providence (6-4-2, 1-1-1) to Valley Fields on Saturday. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m. CST.

“They’ll be a very good team on the ball, so we’ll have to do really well defensively, and we have to have our moments to really control the game,” Korn said.

This recap was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at raquel.ruiz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuiz.