Matadors Fall Late to Marquette, 3-2

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NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Women's Soccer (4-2-4) fell to Marquette (4-4-2) 3-2 in the final game of the Marquette Invitational on Sunday afternoon at Valley Fields in Milwaukee, WI. Seniors Kourtney Kutscher and Camille Watson each netted their second goals of the season in the match while sophomore Lindsay Kutscher earned her first career assist. In a wild contest, the Matadors roared back from a 2-0 deficit at the half but a late Marquette goal in the 84th minute proved to be the difference in the contest.

Coming in with a six-match shutout streak, the Matadors surrendered two early goals to give the Golden Eagles a lead throughout the first half.

In the fifth minute, Meegan Johnston took the ball deep into the left corner and fired what appeared to be cross near the CSUN far post. Instead the ball curved inside the goal just out of the reach of a moving Jovani McCaskill.

Ahead by a goal, Marquette doubled its lead minutes later. Johnston again found the net on a header from inside the box on a pass from Morgan Proffitt to push the Golden Eagle advantage to 2-0.

The Matadors were unable to get much going offensively in the opening period. Limited to one shot in the first 45 minutes, Watson registered the Matadors' only attempt with a shot that went wide in the 21st minute.

After halftime, CSUN turned the tables and pressed offensively in the early going. Following shots from Cynthia Sanchez and Watson, the Matadors cracked the scoreboard after a series of well executed passes.

In the 57th minute, off a throw in near the left corner, Breanna McCallum made a short pass to Lindsay Kutscher who crossed the ball past several players inside the box to Kourtney Kutscher. With a strong look at the net from less than 10 yards, Kutscher kicked in a shot that struck the left far post netting, cutting the deficit in half.

Looking for the equalizer, the Matadors continued to find success generating shots in their final third. Sanchez had a shot blocked in the 61st minute and Taylor Hobson and Kourtney Kutscher each had their shots go wide of the net.

CSUN finally evened the match at 2-2 following a long pass from its defense. Not credited with an assist, Briana Geffre made a long pass to a streaking Watson near the box. The Matador forward dribbled the ball through the Marquette defense and fired a 19-yard shot over the head of goalkeeper Maddy Henry and into the top of the netting.

McCaskill made two saves in the second half, keeping Marquette at bay while the Matadors looked to take their first lead of the game.

Kourtney Kutscher put another shot on goal in the 77th minute and Geffre fired a long distance shot that Henry grabbed to maintain the 2-2 tie.

As the final minutes ticked away in regulation, the Golden Eagles would regain the lead once more on a late goal from Darian Powell. Utilizing a pass from Madison Dunker, Powell kicked home a shot from eight yards out past a diving McCaskill to give Marquette a 3-2 edge.

The Matadors frantically looked for the tying goal over the final moments of regulation including earning a corner kick in the 87th minute but Marquette held on to earn the win.

CSUN outshot Marquette in defeat, 11-10, after posting a 10-3 advantage in the second half. The Golden Eagles earned a 5-2 edge in corner kicks while the Matadors committed 17 fouls to Marquette's 10.

The loss gives CSUN its first defeat when scoring two goals in game since a 4-3 loss at UC Irvine in October 2014. The two first half goals are the first scores allowed by the Matadors in any opening period this season.

For their efforts this weekend, the senior trio of Nicole Thompson, Kourtney Kutscher and Hobson all earned a spot on the All-Marquette Invitational Team.

The Matadors return home for their final tuneup before the start of Big West Conference play as CSUN faces Nebraska-Omaha on Sun., Sept. 25 at 11:30 a.m.

Matadors Fall Late to Marquette, 3-2

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Team Stats

Camille Watson

Kourtney Kutscher

Lindsay Kutscher

Breanna McCallum

Players Mentioned

Briana Geffre

Taylor Hobson

Kourtney Kutscher

Lindsay Kutscher

Breanna McCallum

Jovani McCaskill

Cynthia Sanchez

Nicole Thompson

Camille Watson