(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) – The Marquette University women’s lacrosse team (4-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) wraps a five-game road stretch this Saturday at Niagara (1-6, 0-0 MAAC). First draw is set for 11 a.m. CT, with ESPN+ featuring the broadcast.
LAST TIME OUT
Marquette secured a dominant 19-9 road result at Youngstown State last Friday (March 6). Senior Tess Osburn powered the attack with a career‑high six goals, including five in the first half, while Riley Jenkins added a hat trick and Dani Serrano posted a career‑best seven points (2G, 5A). The Golden Eagles recorded season highs with 25 ground balls, 13 assists, and 32 points, and forced 12 turnovers while holding YSU to four first-half goals. Multiple players delivered multi‑point outings as MU snapped its three‑game skid and earned its first road win of the season.
HISTORY VS. NIAGARA
Marquette holds a 5–2 advantage in its all‑time series with Niagara, a matchup marked by close contests in recent years. The Golden Eagles have won four of the last five meetings, including a 16-11 victory at Valley Fields in 2025, and a dramatic 13-12 home win in 2023. Three of MU’s five wins in the series have come at Valley Fields, while Niagara’s two victories — in 2022 and 2024 — both came on its home turf in Lewiston.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE EAGLES
Niagara enters the matchup at 1–6, coming off a 10-19 loss at Southern California in its most recent outing. The Purple Eagles average 7.9 goals per game and are led by Kensington Keane (11G, 4A, 15 pts), Maddy Gill (10G, 3A, 13 pts) and Michaela Delles (9G, 4A, 13 pts), who anchor a balanced top scoring unit. Niagara has generated 112 ground balls and 66 caused turnovers, but continues to battle possession deficits after being outdrawn 136–38 and outshot 249–165 on the season.
BLACK, PROGRAM EARN 100TH WIN
Head coach Meredith Black, now in her 14th year leading the program she built from the ground up, led Marquette to the 100th win in program history last Friday at Youngstown State. Since guiding MU into its inaugural 2013 season, Black has taken the team from start‑up status to national relevance, highlighted by a program‑record 15–4 season and NCAA Tournament berth in 2023, followed by another 10‑win campaign in 2025.
HIGH-POWERED, EFFICIENT OFFENSE
Marquette brings one of the nation’s most efficient attacks into the Niagara matchup, averaging 15.86 goals per game—No. 6 nationally and No. 1 in the BIG EAST—on 111 goals from 203 shots, converting at a .547 shot percentage, the No. 3 mark in Division I and the top mark in the BIG EAST. MU adds volume with 29.0 shots per game and 24.14 shots on goal per game, ranking No. 11 nationally and again No. 1 in the league.
BALL MOVEMENT DETERMINES THE TEMPO
The Golden Eagles continue to rank among the best passing teams in the country, averaging 7.43 assists per game, good for No. 17 in the NCAA and the top mark in the BIG EAST. Freshman Dani Serrano leads MU with 18 assists, ranking No. 1 in the conference and No. 19 nationally, while Ella Mautz’s eight assists help stabilize one of the most balanced units in the league.
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