WSOC Rallies For 2-2 Draw With Butler In BIG EAST Opener

The Marquette University women’s soccer team (4-3-2, 0-0-1 BIG EAST) opened BIG EAST Conference play with a 2-2 draw against Butler (3-1-4. 0-0-1 BIG EAST) on Saturday night at Valley Fields.

The Golden Eagles trailed 2-0 at the intermission before rallying to earn the draw with a pair of second-half goals from senior Cate Downs and junior Ella McAleenan.

“Normally I hate ties,” head coach Chris Allen said. “But this one almost feels like a win the way our team competed and controlled possession in the second half.  I am really proud of our effort tonight and the match was there for the taking in the final minutes.”

Downs tracked down a deflected cross from just inside the top of the box on the left side and perfectly placed a left-footed shot into the upper right corner of the net.  Just over two minutes later, McAleenan’s left-footed show from 20 yards out found the same area of the net after sophomore Coco Dorfman‘s free kick rattled the crossbar and deflected right to McAleenan.

Butler finished with a narrow 15-13 advantage in overall shots, but Marquette concluded the night with a 10-5 margin in attempts on goal.

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles continue BIG EAST play on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m. CT when the team travels to Creighton.

NOTES

• Senior Abby Ruhland and freshman Olivia Hernandez made their respective first-career starts for the Golden Eagles
• Junior Capri Oliviero made her season debut on Saturday
• Junior Elise Krone made her season debut in net, holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the second half and finishing with a pair of saves.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.