The women’s soccer team fought hard against No. 20 Marquette Sunday but failed to take away a win on Senior Day at Wish Field, falling 1-0.

The Blue Demons came out with an aggressive push but were unable to sustain any momentum against a conference rival that averages nearly 18 shots per game. Much of the first half was spent in DePaul’s end of the field which led to Marquette’s 18-shot first half. The onslaught resulted in a late goal off the foot of forward Mary Luba from 25 yards out. It would be the only goal of the game.

Head coach Erin Chastain had some words for the her squad at the half.

“We just looked really timid in the first half,” Chastain said after the game. “We stepped up our outside backs… that was the biggest adjustment to deal with (Marquette’s) five midfielders and that got us back in the game.”

The second half was much stronger for DePaul, and especially strong for Elise Wyatt, who leads DePaul with 16 points through 15 games this season. The sophomore forward led the charge for DePaul and found herself with two great chances midway and late in the second half. When she wasn’t sending a ball to the net she was working opposite of junior Rachel Pitman to hustle the ball up the wings.

Pitman had an aggressive game with plenty of touches, but found herself slow to get up after a collision in front of a Marquette corner-kick opportunity. She took a moment to collect herself and was back in on the next play to set up Wyatt for a shot that required a diving save from the opposing goalkeeper.

DePaul was able to even out the lopsided numbers from the first period, adding nine shots and forcing four saves from Marquette to the record in the final 45 minutes of play.

Overall, and especially in that second half, DePaul played smart and clean. The Blue Demons committed only four fouls on the game and registered no offsides penalties in the game, opposite to Marquette who committed seven second-half fouls including two yellow cards for being overly aggressive.

It showed frustration on the conference rival’s part, which caught the attention of Chastain.

“I thought we created some great chances to score goals and didn’t really allow Marquette to be very dangerous at all in the second half,” Chastain said. “I’m really happy with our second half because it shows we’re right there and I think it shows we’re deserving of where we are in the conference standings.”

DePaul stands at third place in the Big East conference behind only Georgetown and undefeated Marquette, who has won nine straight games in both conference and non-conference play. With only two games left to play, the Blue Demons have a good look at some playoff contests beginning in November.

DePaul will especially be looking to Amber Paul to keep some momentum after she was honored by the Big East for scoring the Golden Goal that lifted the Blue Demons over Creighton Oct. 12.

It marked the fifth consecutive week that DePaul was honored by the Big East for outstanding play. Paul joins fellow teammates Ashleigh Goddard, Gini Yost, Kylie Nordness and Elise Wyatt as a member of the Big East Honor Roll. The Lady Blue Demons face conference rival Xavier Oct. 26, who ranks dead last in the Big East with a 1- 5-0 record this season.