Marquette Soccer Fends Off Eureka to Remain Unbeaten

Three weeks into the 2011 boys soccer season, no team in the area is on a hotter streak than Marquette.

Already this season, the Mustangs (6-0-1) have a championship win at the St. Charles/St. Charles West Tournament, and five straight shutouts by goalkeeper Mark Goldstein.

And through last week, Marquette was one of only 12 teams left in the area without a loss.

On Tuesday afternoon though, the when Suburban West Conference stronghold Eureka came for a visit in the league opener for both ballclubs.

Thanks to a brilliant first-half surge that led to two goals, and a stiff defense that held Eureka off at the end, Marquette was able to maintain its unbeaten status this season with a 3-2 win over the visiting Wildcats.

“We won, and we’re happy for that, but honestly, I didn’t think we played very well,” Marquette head coach Chris Kenny said.

“In the first half, we had some good stretches where we were moving the ball and working together. But in the second half, after we scored, it looked as if we figured that we’d done our work and the game was over.”

Marquette led 2-0 at the half after a pair of quick scores by seniors Jordan Singer and Geoff Silver. The Mustangs went up 3-1 early in the second half as Silver answered Eureka's Jake Schoch's score with his second goal of the day, following a magnificent setup by teammates Jake Peters and Will Valentine.

The only thing that topped Peters’ lead pass and Valentine’s head pass through the Eureka defense, was Silver’s incredible finish. He pulled off by flipping the ball over a defender’s head, then smashing a shot into the Wildcats net for his sixth goal of the young season.  

At that point, it seemed the Mustangs had the game in firm control.

But Eureka head coach Dan Schneider knew his team wouldn’t let up.

“That’s just the kind of kids they are,” Schneider said. “They’ll battle, and they’ll keep working. We just thought if we could get one, then at least we’d give ourselves a chance.”

And just minutes after Silver’s sensational second goal of the day, Eureka put together its own pretty passing play for a score.

It started when senior Luke Fornwalt, who assisted on Schoch’s goal earlier in the half, stole a pass from a Marquette back and sent a beautiful cross into the left corner for teammate Nate Wilcoxson.

The junior striker then found some space and lifted a pass to the back post, where senior Parkey Levy was waiting all alone to tap in for a score that pulled Eureka to within 3-2.

But with 25 minutes left in the game, that was as close as the Wildcats would get as Marquette’s Goldstein shut down numerous Eureka scoring chances in the final minute.

“Mark came up with a couple of big plays when we had to have them,” Kenny said. “Defensively, we just had way too many breakdowns in that second half. When we went up 3-1, we got lazy, maybe we figured it was over. But Eureka just kept coming.”

The victory lifts Marquette to a 1-0 mark in conference play. Eureka fell to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the league.

Marquette is next scheduled to play Suburban West Conference-foe Parkway South. That contest is scheduled for Saturday at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Complex in Fenton, as part of the annual Parkway Tournament, and will begin at noon.

SCORING SUMMARY

Score by Halves

F

Eureka (3-2)

0

2

2

Marquette (6-0)

2

1

3

First Half

Marquette: Jordan Singer (3), assisted by Ryan Marks – 33:06.

Marquette: Geoff Silver(5), assisted by Will Valentine – 30:49.

Second Half

Eureka: Jake Schoch (2), assisted by Luke Fornwalt – 32:06.

Marquette: Geoff Silver (6), assisted by Kevin Leeker – 29:12.

Eureka: Parker Levy (1), assisted by Nathan Wilcoxson – 25:44.