The Golden Eagles had their chances to get level with the ranked Pirates, but ended up with a 1-0 loss.
Well, maybe the exact trajectory of how Seton Hall ended up as the #15 team in the country doesn’t make sense, but you can’t argue with the fact that they beat Marquette men’s soccer 1-0 on Friday night in South Orange.
The only goal of the match came through in the 34th minute, as the Pirates took advantage of a shot advantage that they built up through the first half hour. That push ultimately netted this shot from Jared Smith that beat MU keeper Marten Brink.
JARED SMITH FINDS
THE BACK OF THE NET ☠️Pirates now lead 1-0!#HALLin ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/K6yyFJNAcy
— Seton Hall Men’s Soccer (@SHUMSOC) October 4, 2024
Weirdly, that would be the last shot of the half for Seton Hall, and MU only managed one more attempt themselves. For whatever reason, things completely turned around in the second half. After SHU dominated the shot total in the first 45 minutes, it was Marquette’s turn to knock on the door over and over again after intermission. By the end, the Golden Eagles holding a 7-2 shot advantage in the second half, and Seton Hall keeper Soren Jensen had to make all three of his saves in the match to ensure that the Golden Eagles remained scoreless. This one, from Tim Smith just past the 70 minute mark, doesn’t go in the book as a Jensen save, and it’s maybe an inch or two from bouncing in off the post.
72′ | MU – 0 | SH – 1
Great Effort, Unlucky Break! MU continuing to fight. #WeAreMarquette | #MarquetteSoccer pic.twitter.com/pqCvN9WWY6
— Marquette Soccer (@marquettesoccer) October 5, 2024
This is Marquette’s first loss in Big East play, dropping them to 2-1-0 in the conference and 6-4-1 overall. MU’s loss leaves divisional rival Akron as the only perfect 3-0-0 team in the Big East.
Up Next: Marquette has one more non-conference match to play, and that one will be on Tuesday night at Valley Fields. It will be the renewal of the Milwaukee Cup rivalry with UW-Milwaukee, and first kick is set for 7pm Central. Marquette has held the Cup since a 5-2 victory in 2022 as the two teams went to a draw a year ago. The Golden Eagles will be looking to match their longest streak of Cup possession if they get a win or a draw. Milwaukee is 4-2-3 this season after a 2-1 win over Drake on Tuesday, but they’ll host Oakland for a Horizon League contest on Saturday.