Oct. 29, 2008

Box Score

Box Score vs. WVU (PDF)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Marquette (3-9-4, 1-7-2 BIG EAST) was eliminated from postseason contention Wednesday, as West Virginia (5-7-5, 3-3-4 BIG EAST) picked up an early first-half goal and went on to defeat the Golden Eagles 2-0 from frigid Dick Diesk Soccer Stadium.

Moments after the opening kick off -- after the mixture of snow fall and hail subsided -- the Mountaineers netted the decisive goal.

"The first 15 minutes I thought we looked a little distracted, a little jaded," said head coach Louis Bennett. "Then we kind of kicked into gear. Unfortunately, we had already given a goal away. To be honest with you, I can't fault the guys -- as  whole -- for their effort. Some of them are really doing their best, but in a game like this we had to be better. We weren't good enough. We gave away too much and we didn't put enough pressure on them."

Wednesday's match was a must-win game for both squads with all eight Blue Division teams still in the hunt for one of six divisional spots in the 2008 BIG EAST Championship heading into the final week of the regular season.

WVU's Daniel Hagey won an encounter with a pair of Marquette defenders and settled a long cross from teammate Ryan Gillespie to beat MU goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski, near post, in the 16th minute of action.

Less than a minute prior to the Mountaineers' goal, Anthony Colaizzi produced MU's first and only shot on goal when he received the ball near midfield, dribbled through three WVU defenders and put the ball on target from the top of the box. The Golden Eagles registered five of the their eight shots in the first period.

Marquette's most advantageous opportunities were produced off of counter-attacks early on, often racing out to outnumber the retreating WVU back line. But nothing quite materialized on such chances.

One goal was all the Mountaineers needed to seal Marquette's fate and preserve the win, as the Golden Eagles fell to 0-8-2 on the season when their opponent is the first team to score in a match.

"The end result was obviously very disappointing," Bennett said. "With the opportunity there to extend our season, and the margin for error small, our hope was to pick up three points. As soon as they scored, the game started to turn in our favor, and I thought that [winning] might be a possibility."

But the Mountaineers were able to add some cushion for their sophomore goalkeeper, Zach Johnson, with a header by Alex Yost that found the back of the Golden Eagles' net in the 84th minute. Johnson, one of the nation's top players between the posts, went on to record his eighth shutout of the season.

MU will play its final match of the regular season this Saturday at Georgetown. Kick off against the Hoyas is set for 11 a.m. CT.