Nov. 4, 2009

Game Notes (PDF) | Live Audio (WMUR)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Led by fourth-year head coach Louis Bennett, the Marquette University (4-10-3) men's soccer team will be making its first trip back to the postseason since 2002 when the Golden Eagles take on nationally ranked USF (12-3-2) in the first round of the 2009 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship on Thursday, Nov. 5.

Kick off versus the Bulls is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and can be heard online through live streaming provided by Marquette Radio (WMUR). Sports director Robbie Shimp will make the call alongside analyst Brad Galli.

Thursday's match marks the second time this season that the Golden Eagles will have traveled to Tampa to face USF. Marquette came back from a one-goal deficit earlier this season to draw with the Bulls, 1-1, in the BIG EAST opener on Sept.. 18 as freshman Adam Lysak leveled the match in the second half. It was Lysak's first collegiate goal.

GAME CAPSULE
BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship - First Round
Marquette vs. 13/9 USF
Thursday, Nov. 5 (6:30 p.m. CT)
USF Soccer Stadium: Tampa, Fla.

Series Information:
USF leads all-time series, 8-5-1

Marquette Television/Radio:
Audio: marquetteradio.mu.edu
Television: none

Live Stats:
GoUSFBulls.com

KEY STORYLINES
Marquette is making its first-ever appearance in the BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship since they joined the league in 2005. It is the first postseason berth for the Golden Eagles since the 2002 season when they were a member of Conference USA.

MU is the No. 6 seed in the Blue Division while USF enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Red Division. Thursday’s first-round matchup between MU and No. 13/9 USF will be the second meeting this season between the two teams. MU came from behind to draw with the Bulls 1-1 to open conference play on Oct. 18.

The winner of Thursday’s match will advance to the second round to play at Notre Dame on Sunday, Nov. 8. The Irish are the No. 2 seed in the Blue Division.
[tournament bracket on page 11]

ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Led by head coach George Kiefer, the Bulls are ranked No. 9 in this week’s Soccer America poll and No. 13 in the latest NSCAA/adidas poll. USF concluded the regular season with a 2-1 double-overtime loss at Rutgers on Oct. 31.

The loss cost the Bulls a first-round bye as St. John’s went on to claim the No. 2 seed in the Red Division. USF, which made a trip to the NCAA’s ‘Elite 8’ a season ago, has not lost two straight matches since the 2006 campaign.

Offensively, the Bulls are led by Hasani Sinclair, Bernardo Anor and Zak Boggs who have combined to score 14 goals this season, while Javed Mohammed has tallied 10 points on eight assists and a goal. On the other end of the pitch, Jeff Attinella is one of the top goalkeepers in the BIG EAST. He comes into Thursday’s contest with seven shutouts, including 88 saves and a 0.68 goals against average.

LAST TIME OUT
Marquette finished the regular season Monday with a 3-0 loss at No. 8/8 Connecticut. The Huskies scored twice in the first half and added another goal in the 70th minute as UConn went on to clinch a Blue Division championship. The Golden Eagles tallied six shots in the match, all in the second half. Captain Scott Miller and regular goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski did not play as many of head coach Louis Bennett’s regular starters were rested in preparation for this week’s BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship.

MU AGAINST TOP-RANKED TEAMS
Louis Bennett’s squad will get another test Thursday against nationally ranked USF. In all, MU has already faced a total of eight teams in 2009 that were nationally ranked or receiving votes in one or more of the four major polls. This past Monday’s match at UConn marked the fourth Marquette opponent this season that was ranked in the top 10 nationally, according to the NSCAA/adidas poll.

MADSEN’S HAT TRICK WORTHY OF PRAISE
Chris Madsen netted three goals, in addition to one assist, in Marquette’s 5-0 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 31. The performance tied single-game records for goals (3) and points (7) scored by an individual at Valley Fields. Madsen was rewarded with being named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week on Nov. 2 and BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Nov. 3.