Sept. 25, 2005

MILWAUKEE - The No. 17 Marquette women's soccer team earned a 2-0 win at home against Providence (3-5-1, 0-2-1 BIG EAST) on a rainy Sunday at Valley Fields. The match - MU's sixth shutout of the season - was delayed for approximately 45 minutes during the first half due to heavy rains and lightning.

When play resumed, the Golden Eagles (9-1-1, 2-1 BIG EAST) and Friars played to a scoreless first half, as MU outshot Providence, 7-3.

In the second half, Marquette got on the scoreboard at the 48:58 mark as junior Lauren Weber's sliding toekick snuck by Friar goalkeeper Ashley Fedshyn. The play was set up by a pass from freshman Katie Kelly.

Marquette struck again at the 80:17 mark, after Allison McBride raced across midfield to intercept a Providence pass. She fed it to Emily Fitzpatrick who chipped it in from 12 yards out.

"Before the rain delay, we were trying to establish some flow to the game, but we seemed a bit sluggish," said head coach Markus Roeders. "But I thought we finished the first half strong and did a good job of holding off Providence's attempts."

"Our bench gave us a boost today. We got a lot of contributions from our non- starters and we'll need that the rest of the way. We win and lose as a team." Roeders added. "Every game in the BIG EAST is a battle and I'm happy that our hard work today in our first conference weekend paid off."

For the match, Marquette goalkeeper Laura Boyer made seven saves to three for Providence's Fedshyn. The Golden Eagles attempted six corner kicks, while the Friars recorded four.

The Golden Eagles return to action on Friday, when they host defending national champion and BIG EAST rival Notre Dame at Valley Fields. Game time is 7 p.m.