Home this weekend, the Pi- rates take on Marquette and the University of South Florida trying to stay undefeated at home with a 5-0 record.
The Pirates recorded their first Big East win over the Villanova Wildcats on Sunday
Senior forward Stephanie Soma scored twice in the match. Head coach Kazbek Tambi said he knows playing he knows Big East opponents allows the team to be energized more than usual, especially when the opponents are one's who have been competitive over the last few years.
"Well we're pumped up," Tambi said. "Anytime you have an opportunity to play against a Big East opponent, such as Marquette, that's been a successful program over the last few years, presents a great challenge. And I think all of our players are psyched up for that opportunity."
Holding a series record of 1-0- 1 against Marquette and another series record of 1-1-0 against the University of South Florida, the Pirates look to extend both of those series record with wins.
Tambi said this cannot be done without the team playing hard for the entire game.
"We need to have everybody totally focused for 90 minutes," Tambi said. "There can't be any lapses in our style of play. Yes, it is great for us because we're playing in front of our surroundings, in front of our home crowd. We tend to have very good crowds and that gives our players a lift, and I think that combination will hopefully allow us to prevail."
Along with staying focused for the full game, Tambi said he also believes that for the team to be successful, they need to use their greatest strength, team unity.
"For us to be successful especially at the toughest level of com- petition like the Big East, we're going to need to have everybody play an A-level game." Tambi said. "We're not a team that can rely on one or two players only, we need everybody to get it done together and be on the same page to work towards a common goal. On days where we have been successful we've seen that, and on other days we've seen where that didn't happen and we suffered as a result."
Aside from staying focused for the entire game and playing the match as a team Tambi said he holds no doubts about his players' ability to get wins against two tough Big East opponents.
The only thing that Tambi said can be a potential downfall for his team would be the lack of rest be- tween the two tough matches.
"Well I'm less concerned with South Florida," Tambi said. "We know they're a very strong team, as is every Big East opponent. My main concern is can we come out strong after playing Friday night. With having such a short rest and still being able to come out with the required level of intensity, focus, and energy over 90 minutes. Which again is what it will take, so the test on a Sunday is can you bring it out again, with playing on a short notice."
The last time the Pirates played Marquette and USF was in 2009.
Both matches resulted in losses on the road, 3-1 to Marquette and 1-0 to USF.
The Pirates will try to extend their five-game home winning streak this weekend as they host Golden Eagles at 7 p.m. on Friday and the Bulls at 1 p.m.
Dennis Chambers can be reached at Dennis.Chamber@ student.shu.edu
