Eureka Puts Up Good Soccer Battle to Unbeaten Marquette

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

Already this season, the Mustangs (6-0-1) are unbeaten in six early-season contests, including 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 Mustangs got their first real test of the season, when Suburban West Conference stronghold Eureka came for a visit in the league opener for both ballclubs.

And 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, and went up 3-1 early in the second half, after Jake Schoch got Eureka on the board, and then Silver answered with his second goal of the day, following a magnificent set up 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, which he pulled off by flipping the ball over a defender’s head, then smashing a shot into the Wildcat 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, 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.

The Wildcats will be back in action on Thursday when they’ll host another Suburban West Conference foe, Parkway South, at Eureka High at 6 p.m.

Marquette is also scheduled to play next against 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.