(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) The Marquette University men’s soccer team (5-4-2, 0-4-0 BIG EAST) continued BIG EAST Conference play Saturday afternoon with a tough 2-1 loss at Butler (4-8-0, 1-2-0 BIG EAST).
The Golden Eagles finished the day with a 26-10 advantage in shots, including an 11-4 margin in attempts on goal.
MU concluded the second half with a scoring-chance flurry, but a diving save by Butler’s Aurie Briscoe (finished with nine saves) and a shot cleared off the line by a Bulldog defender in the final minute kept the team from netting the equalizer.
Forward Mitchell Dryden returned to the starting lineup on Saturday and quickly made an impact, finding the back of the net in the 11th minute for his fourth goal of the season. Dryden redirected a header from Justin Milovanov off a corner service from Mateo Stoka with a half-heel volley inside the left post for the early 1-0 advantage.
Butler leveled the score at the 24:27 mark, ripping a long distance shot from outside the top of the box that skipped off the turf inside the right post past a diving Marten Brink. The Golden Eagles finished the half with an 11-5 advantage in shots and had multiple quality scoring chances at the end of the stanza, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
After controlling possession and collecting several quality chances to start the second half, the Golden Eagles saw Butler move ahead 2-1 at the 77:34 mark when a MU clearance flew directly to Butler’s Aiden Benitez inside the box and his strike from 12 yards out snuck inside the right post.
UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles return to BIG EAST action at Providence on Friday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. CT.
NOTABLES
- Dryden’s goal was the first score for Marquette in four BIG EAST outings in 2025 and his first since Sept. 13 against Lipscomb in the final outing of a three-match scoring streak
- Marquette’s 26 shots marked a season high, surpassing the previous mark of 24 against Chicago State on Aug. 31
- Dryden and Nico Pendleton, who scored two goals vs. UIC on Tuesday, share the team lead with four goals
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