Sept. 5, 2008

MU-Penn Box Score (PDF)

MILWAUKEE -- MILWAUKEE -- The nightcap of Friday's Marquette Invitational proved to be an epic opening-round contest that saw Marquette duel Penn to a scoreless draw. Playing a man down for a majority of the match, the Golden Eagles (1-0-1) managed to out-shoot their opponent 12-7, while both team's outlasted each other's mounting offensive pressure.

"This is all positive experience," said head coach Louis Bennett. "Win, lose or tie tonight -- I thought we played well under the circumstances. Let's face it, we played with heart. We showed some character and played spirited."

Marquette sophomore Anthony Colaizzi, who tallied five points in Monday's 4-1 win over Bryant, was sent off near the 23-minute mark after responding to a tackle on teammate Matt Stummer. Colaizzi received a red card for his reaction, which led to his automatic dismissal from the contest and left MU a man short of 11 players.

Added pressure on Marquette's defense was evident as the Golden Eagles forced some fouls, especially late in the second half, that led to a few Penn opportunities off set pieces.

Penn's best opportunity of the night was a discounted goal in the 44th minute, as Aaron Ross had committed a foul on the play, fighting a Marquette defender and goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski for the ball.

In the 103rd minute, another dicey situation arose for the Golden Eagles when a Penn striker was fouled near the top of the box, which nearly resulted in a penalty kick. Alex Fairmen sent the free kick around MU's wall, but it was saved nicely by Pyzdrowski, who recorded four saves overall.

"The fact that we didn't bunker in was huge progress," Bennett said of his team. "I was proud of the way they didn't look for excuses. We dug in. We made the tactical adjustments, and they weathered the storm."

Remarkably, Marquette was able to counter throughout the match with its own pointed attack by choosing its opportunities wisely, attacking gaps in the Quakers defensive unit, and exhibiting an offensive swagger perhaps not yet seen during Bennett's tenure at the helm.

In the 72nd minute, Matt Stummer brought the MU crowd to its feet after dribbling through a pair of defenders. With a third defender closing in, Stummer fired a shot from approximately 18 yards out, but was wide left.

The Golden Eagles had another prime opportunity in the 97th minute when Tom Lynn had an open shot at Penn goalkeeper Drew Healy, who rejected Lynn and recorded one of his three saves on the evening.

"Anyone who has come to see us this year, if we get the ball under control when we get into the attacking third, we look like we're going to score," said Bennett. "That's what we've been trying to achieve. Doing that every day is something we're still going to try to achieve."

Each team registered four shots on goal. Marquette won the corner kick tally by a margin of 6-5, and out-shot Penn 3-1 in the two, 10-minute overtime periods.

Friday's early game featured BIG EAST Conference member DePaul versus Columbia of the Ivy League. DePaul (1-1) earned its first victory of the season with a 1-0 decision over the Lions (0-1).

NCAA rules state Colaizzi must sit out the team's next game as well, which will means the midfielder will be sidelined for Sunday's game against Columbia, the fourth and final match of the weekend tournament.

The Blue Demons will take on Penn this Sunday at 11:05 a.m., prior to MU's 1:05 p.m. tilt with Columbia.