Lightning wasn’t just seen in a literal sense at Valley Fields.
Yes, it delayed the start of the match around 40 minutes. But it also represented how quickly Marquette women’s soccer responded to Butler in the second half with its backs against the wall.
Facing a 2-0 deficit, the Golden Eagles (4-3-2, 0-0-1 Big East) utilized a lightning-quick pacing of goals to rally themselves back into the contest to force a 2-2 draw with the visiting Bulldogs (3-1-4, 0-0-1 Big East).
Being down two goals at the halftime whistle, time was not on the Golden Eagles’ side. But then, like a flash of lightning, the Golden Eagles found the back of the net twice within a five-minute span.
In the 66th minute, Marquette senior midfielder Cate Downs capitalized off of Butler first-year goalie Addison Ash’s deflection that rolled towards her and booted the ball into the upper right corner of the net. In the snap of a finger, the ball found its way back into the right corner of the Butler net, fostering a sense of ‘deja vu’ amongst the Valley Fields crowd.
During the 68th minute, first-year midfielder Coco Dorfman’s free kick clanged off of the crossbar, then rolled through a sea of blue and white jerseys and found the foot of junior midfielder Ella McAleenan. She kicked it diagonally from the left side of the penalty arc, past a diving Ash and into the right side of the net, just a little lower than where Downs had scored her goal.
It was the first goals for both Downs and McAleenan on the season.
“I’m very proud of the resiliency that our kids show, to be down 2-0 to such a talented and battle tested team like Butler, for our kids to be able to take lessons that we learned in the nonconference slate, to then be able to apply them in Big East play,” Marquette head coach Chris Allen said.
“I’m really excited about the way we came out, the execution, and I thought we had some awesome opportunities to even go win the game (3-2) late. So, I hate ties, but this is one that feels like a little bit like a win for us.”
Goalkeeper switch
At halftime, junior Elise Krone came in for sophomore Hailey Wade, who had started every match for the Golden Eagles this season.
Krone started 10 matches in 11 appearances last fall but saw her first game action of 2025 on Saturday evening. She earned the program’s ‘Tip of the Spear’ award against Kansas City on Sept. 4, highlighting her contributions despite not seeing playing time throughout nonconference.
“At halftime, I think it was about executing the details that we learned, seeing it from the side, we pick up a lot of the tactics, being able to bring that onto the field and communicate that to the rest of the back line,” Krone said.
Marquette now ventures to Omaha to face Creighton (3-4-1) on Sept. 27. First kick is scheduled for 4 p.m. CST, and the action will be broadcast on ESPN+.
This article was written by Mikey Severson. He can be reached at michael.severson@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @MikeySeversonMU.