Oct. 30, 2008

MILWAUKEE - The No. 2 American Division seed Marquette women's soccer team will look to advance to the BIG EAST semifinals for the third time in program history Sunday, Nov. 2, when it takes on No. 3 National Division seed Rutgers in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals at Valley Fields. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.

The winner of this match advances to the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals where it will meet the victor of top National Division seed Notre Dame versus St. John's/Cincinnati. Notre Dame's Alumni Stadium will serve as host for the semifinals (Nov. 7) and finals (Nov. 9).

"Postseason play is a constant goal for our program so we are looking forward to the game versus Rutgers," said head coach Markus Roeders. Having a full week to prepare is an extra bonus and we can fine tune some areas of our game. The ladies will be excited to play at home in front of our crowd. Soccer in the BIG EAST is one of the few sports that allows for hosting early round tournament competition, which is definitely something our team embraces. The reward for playing and winning this Sunday should be motivation enough for our team to play at its highest level."

The home quarterfinal match marks the third time since Marquette joined the league in 2005 that it has played its quarterfinal match on its home turf. MU is 2-3 all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament, 2-1 in BIG EAST Quarterfinal action, and 2-0 when those quarterfinal matches are played at Valley Fields. Marquette last won a quarterfinal match in 2006 when it defeated Villanova, 1-0, at Valley Fields.

Sophomore Ashley Bares leads Marquette's (10-6-3, 6-3-2 BIG EAST) attack with 10 points on four goals and two assists. All four of her goals have been game winners. Classmate Julia Victor and freshman Danielle Martens follow with nine points apiece, each scoring three goals with two assists. In net, Marquette has relied on the duo of freshman Natalie Kulla and junior Chelsey Turner. Kulla has seen action in 15 games, has totaled a 0.79 goals against average and 43 saves in 1252:25. Turner has played in eight games and has registered a 0.62 goals against average and nine saves. The duo has combined for eight shutouts.

The Golden Eagles are known for their defense led by seniors Shannon Cusick, Kelli DeBarge and Katie Kelly, but they are also very dangerous offensively, especially late in the game and in overtime. Marquette has scored nine of its goals this season after the 80th minute, and five in overtime. MU has posted a 4-1-3 mark in overtime games this season.

The Scarlet Knights (12-5-1, 7-3-1 BIG EAST), who finished third in league play behind Notre Dame and Georgetown, are ranked in five national polls, Soccer America (No. 22), Soccer Times (No. 24), National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas (No. 24), Soccerbuzz (No. 26) and Top Drawer Soccer (No. 27).

After losing their leading scorer Caycie Gusman to an ACL injury, Rutgers has looked to Kristen Edmonds to lead its offense. Edmonds is the Scarlet Knights' active leading scorer with 16 points on five goals and six assists. Alicia Hall and Gina DeMaio are tied for second on the team with 12 points apiece. Hall has six goals, while DeMaio has 12 assists. Junior goalkeeper Erin Guthrie has recorded eight shutouts while posting 63 saves in over 1641 minutes in net.

"Sunday's game will be an intriguing match up for our squad. Rutgers plays a possession style of soccer so the fans will be treated to excellent competition.They are very well coached and have talented players across the field. Every area of their team has strength and we will need to play our best soccer on Sunday in order to advance to the semifinals the following weekend," said Roeders.

The Golden Eagles and Scarlet Knights have met just once with its only meeting coming in 2006. Rutgers defeated Marquette in Piscataway, 3-0.