For the second straight season, Marquette slipped past the USF women’s soccer team.
Marquette got a late game-winning goal Thursday en route to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Bulls in their Big East opener.
“It was a real heartbreaker,” said USF coach Denise Schilte-Brown. “It was an unbelievable game and the girls played well.”
USF (3-4-1) and Marquette (7-2-0) played back and forth with the Golden Eagles leading 1-0 at the half.
The Bulls tied the game in the 63rd minute on Chelsea Klotz’s second goal of the season.
“At first I didn’t realize that it had gone in,” Klotz said. “I couldn’t really see, so I was standing there for a second and I realized it was in the back of the net.”
However, in the 88th minute Marquette midfielder Kerry McBride beat goalkeeper Mallori Lofton-Malachi to give the Golden Eagles the win.
“We dominated the second half. I thought we were going to be the ones scoring,” Schilte-Brown said.
USF alleviated some of the pain from Thursday’s match on Sunday, beating Stetson 3-2 in overtime.
The Bulls jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first half from a goal by sophomore Chantelle Goodson. However, Stetson scored two goals – including a penalty kick – within a span of five minutes in the second half to take the lead.
Sophomore Noelle Pineiro continued her stellar offense, taking a pass from Taylor Patterson and scoring to tie it 2-2.
In the second overtime, Klotz missed wide on a bid for her second goal of the match in the 105th minute. A few minutes later, Pineiro passed to an open Klotz, who gave USF the lead and the win.
“I just laid on the ground and I was just happy for it to be over,” Klotz said.
