(MARQUETTE COMMUNICATIONS) – The Marquette University women’s lacrosse team (7-5, 1-2 BIG EAST) heads back to Milwaukee this Saturday, opening the final homestand of the season against Villanova (8-3, 2-0 BIG EAST). First draw is set for 12 p.m. CT from Valley Fields, with ESPN+ featuring the broadcast.
Marquette fell 15-9 to No. 19 Denver on Wednesday afternoon at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, dropping to 7-4 overall and 1-2 in BIG EAST play. Tess Osburn led the Golden Eagles with five points (two goals, three assists) in her home state of Colorado, while Dani Serrano added three points on a goal and two assists. Marquette stayed within striking distance through the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 12-8, but Denver closed the game with three of the final four goals to secure the win.
Marquette and Villanova have met 13 times all‑time, with the Wildcats holding a narrow 7-6 series advantage. The series has been evenly split in recent years, with Marquette winning four of five meetings from 2017-23, including back‑to‑back road victories in Philadelphia in 2021 and 2023. Villanova has responded by taking the last two meetings, most recently a 15-8 win in Philadelphia in 2025.
Villanova enters the matchup at 8-3 overall and 2-0 in BIG EAST play, riding a 10-8 road win at UConn on April 1 to remain unbeaten in conference action. The Wildcats rely on possession and ball movement, ranking No. 1 in the BIG EAST in both assists per game (7.55) and draw controls per game (14.91). Offensively, Villanova features balanced production from Mary Moore (19 goals), Rose Christie (16 goals, 16 assists) and Elena Torres (16 goals), while Emma Verhoest’s 108 draw controls give the Wildcats a consistent edge at the circle.
Men
The Marquette University men’s lacrosse team (5–4, 0–0 BIG EAST) is back in action this Saturday, April 4 when they travel to Queens to take on the Red Storm of St. John’s (2-8, 0-1 BIG EAST). Opening faceoff is scheduled fot 11:00 a.m. CT.
Marquette opened BIG EAST play with a 14–13 overtime victory over Providence on March 28 at Valley Fields, using a 6–1 run spanning the fourth quarter and overtime to secure the comeback win.
Trailing 12–8 in the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles mounted a late surge to force overtime before completing the rally in the extra frame.
Ethan Salvia led the way with a career-high six points (3 goals, 3 assists), including the game-winning goal in overtime.
Marquette and St. John’s meet for the 14th time in program history, with the Golden Eagles holding a 11-2 advantage in the all-time series.
The Golden Eagles claimed last season’s matchup, 13-8, and has won 11 of the last 12 matchups. The series began in 2013 during MU’s first season of competition
St. John’s enters Saturday’s matchup with a 2–8 overall record and an 0–1 mark in BIG EAST play.
The Red Storm went 2–7 in non-conference action, earning wins over Quinnipiac and Hofstra before dropping their final five games. In their BIG EAST opener, they fell 21–7 to Villanova and are currently 0–6 at home this season.
St. John’s was picked to finish last in the BIG EAST in the preseason poll, though redshirt junior attackman Adrian Nowak earned Preseason All-BIG EAST Team honors.
Offensively, the Red Storm are led by redshirt freshman Noah Plenn, who paces the team with 28 points on 15 goals and 13 assists. Plenn ranks among the conference leaders in goals, assists, points, and shots per game. Ethan Wiegand has been effective at the faceoff X, winning 54.1 percent of his attempts this season. In goal, Matt Nelson has made 10 starts and holds a .500 save percentage.
Defensively, sophomore Quinn Falasca leads the team with 12 caused turnovers, which ranks fifth in the BIG EAST.
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