(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) – Senior defender Sofia Santana earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors after a Marquette single-game record seven caused turnovers at Xavier last Saturday, as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
Graduate student midfielder also earned a spot on the Weekly Honor Roll for the second-straight week.
Hanna Bodner earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, producing a well‑rounded effort that included a goal, an assist, six draw controls, two caused turnovers and a ground ball, while helping Marquette control possession throughout the victory.
Golden Eagles head to Denver: The Marquette University women’s lacrosse team (7-4, 1-1 BIG EAST) is set to face their third ranked opponent of the 2026 season this Wednesday, traveling to No. 19 Denver (9-2, 2-0 BIG EAST). First draw is set for 12:30 p.m. CT from Denver, with ESPN+ featuring the broadcast.
Marquette earned a 10–7 road win at Xavier last Saturday in Cincinnati, leaning on defensive pressure and strong possession play to pull away. Tess Osburn led the Golden Eagles with three goals, while Ella Mautz added two goals, Hanna Bodner finished with a goal, an assist and six draw controls. Marquette outshot Xavier 31–15, won draws 13–6 and went a perfect 20‑for‑20 on clears. Defensively, Sofia Santana set a Marquette single‑game record with seven caused turnovers, helping MU limit Xavier to just seven goals and close out the victory.
Marquette is 0-10 all‑time against Denver, a series that has featured frequent nationally ranked Pioneer teams and several closely contested matchups. The closest result came in 2021, when Marquette pushed then‑No. 19 Denver to double overtime before falling 12-11 at Valley Fields. The most recent matchup resulted in a 23-10 Denver win in Milwaukee in 2025, as Marquette looks to break through against one of the BIG EAST’s longtime benchmarks this week in Denver.
Denver enters the matchup at 9-2 overall and 2-0 in BIG EAST play, coming off a dominant 14-2 road win at Butler on March 28. The Pioneers average 14.64 goals per game while allowing just 7.27, and are led offensively by Olivia Ripple, who tops the team with 43 goals and 55 points, while Caroline Keil adds 35 goals and Eva Thomsen‑Marr contributes 39 points (25G, 14A). Denver also controls possession with 150 draw controls, anchored by Alex Dorr’s team‑high 50, and relies on goalkeeper Lexi Gwaku, who owns a 9–2 record, 7.45 GAA and .471 save percentage in 11 starts.
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