Sept. 28, 2008

Game Day Links:
Game Note vs. Cincinnati (PDF)
Gametracker/Live Stats
Live Audio (gobearcats.com)
Live Streaming Video (Pay Per View)

Key Storylines
Both Marquette and Cincinnati are still searching for their first BIG EAST wins. Cincinnati has lost two straight, including a 2-1 loss at No. 5 Connecticut and a 3-0 setback Friday against No. 3 Notre Dame. Marquette is coming off a 1-1 draw at No. 20 Louisville after sufferering three consecutive losses to open BIG EAST play. Marquette will be without the services of top goal-scorer Anthony Colaizzi and Michael Greene against the Bearcats, as both players received red cards in Friday’s match against the Cardinals. MU also lost starting center back Scott Miller last week, who is out for an indefinite period of time, due to injury.

Series History
Marquette's first win as a member of the BIG EAST Conference was last year's 2-1 double-overtime victory against Cincinnati at Valley Fields. MU owns a 12-11-2 all-time record against the Bearcats, while the Golden Eagles are 3-6 all-time in Cincinnati. The last time Marquette won at Cincinnati was the 2004 season, snapping a four-game losing streak on the Bearcats' home pitch.

Scouting the Opponent
Cincinnati returns five starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's team that placed fifth in the Red Division with a league mark of 5-5-1. The Bearcats finished with a 9-10-1 overall record. Still searching for its first BIG EAST victory of the 2008 campaign, Cincinnati is currently 2-3-2 heading into Friday's home match against No. 3 Notre Dame.

Offensive Production Up, But Lacking Results
Through its first seven contests, Marquette has out-shot its opponents 86-85 and likewise leads the shots-on-goal margin 38-30. However, the opponents' eight goals is two more than the Golden Eagles have tallied. Coach Bennett is pleased with the increased production in front of the net, but has continued to put emphasis on finishing. Its a slightly different story from a season ago, as Marquette had only registered 69 shots total in the team's first seven contests.

Unforgiving Schedule
Marquette will the gauntlet in 2008 by going head-to-head with seven teams currently ranked in the top 25 in the NSCAA/adidas poll. Three of those matches are against teams (#3 Notre Dame, #4 St. John's, #5 Connecticut) that are currently ranked among the top five. Seven matches would be the most matches against ranked teams the Golden Eagles have ever had to face in a season (since records against ranked opponents were first recorded, at least as early as 1991). On record, No. 11 USF was the highest ranked team the Golden Eagles have beaten, a 1-0 shutout in Tampa back in 2004. The last ranked opponent MU defeated was No. 23 Penn State, 1-0, in 2005.

Looking Ahead
Marquette returns from its two-game road trip to host No. 10/7 UIC at Valley Fields this Thursday, Oct. 2. If undefeated UIC (5-0-2) maintains its top-10 ranking next week, Thursday’s match would mark the third top-10 team the Golden Eagles will have played in nine games played this season. UIC ranked sixth in NCAA Division I, as of Sept. 21, in scoring offense, averaging 2.43 goals per game and since increasing that number to 2.75 goals per match. MU owns a 4-2-1 all-time record against the Flames. UIC, then ranked No. 25 in the country, defeated the Golden Eagles 3-1 in Chicago last season, while Marquette is 3-0 all-time against the Flames at Valley Fields. Head coach Louis Bennett is 6-5-2 in his career versus UIC, a member of the Horizon League, including a 6-4-2 mark during his tenure at UW-Milwaukee (1996-2005).