Marquette and Providence meet Saturday in Rhode Island

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's lacrosse team resumes BIG EAST Conference action on Saturday, April 13 against Providence College at Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island.

The game, which is slated for 11 a.m. Central time, will feature a live broadcast on Friars.com.

Following the contest against the Friars, the Golden Eagles will head to Long Island to face No. 6 Duke on Easter Saturday at 10 a.m. CT at Bethpage High School in the 'Battle at Bethpage.'

GAME DETAILS
Marquette (6-5) at Providence (5-6)
Anderson Stadium (Providence, R.I.)
Saturday, April 13 at 11 a.m. CT

LIVE COVERAGE
VIDEO | STATS | GAME NOTES (PDF) | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

MARQUETTE (6-5): The Golden Eagles suffered a 13-6 setback at No. 12/10 Notre Dame on Wednesday after leading 5-4 early in the third quarter on Tanner Thomson's second goal of the day. MU led 2-1 after one quarter and entered the half knotted, 4-4, with the Fighting Irish. Marquette has alternated wins and losses over the last three games following a 9-8 victory at then-No. 14 Georgetown on March 23. Thomson leads Marquette with 25 goals and 34 points, while John Wagner has 29 points on the season.

PROVIDENCE (5-6): The Friars began BIG EAST play with an 8-7 overtime win at St. John's on March 30 and most recently fell 17-15 to Georgetown. Nick Hatzipetrakos leads the Friars with 33 goals and 38 points, which sit second and third in the BIG EAST, respectively. PC is allowing just 9.78 goals per game and goalie Tate Boyce leads the league with 12.91 saves per game.

KEY STORYLINES:

Saturday's game marks the 103rd in the history of Marquette men's lacrosse, which played its first games in the spring of 2013. MU is 52-50 all-time entering Saturday.
Marquette is 5-1 all-time against the Friars and four of its five victories have come by just one goal.
MU won last season's meeting in overtime after overcoming a four-goal deficit in the final 1:37 of regulation in Milwaukee. Griffin Fleming scored as time expired in regulation and John Wagner ended it in OT.
MU's last game at Anderson Stadium was a 10-9 victory in the 2017 BIG EAST Championship title game against the Friars. The Golden Eagles had lost to PC, 9-7, earlier that season in Providence during the regular season.
John Wagner currently has 69 career goals and 99 points. He would become just the third player in MU history to reach 100 career points and the fourth to reach 70 goals.
Wagner's 16 assists in 2019 are a career-high and more than any Golden Eagle totaled during the entirety of the 2018 season. The single-season program record of 20 was set by Conor Gately as a freshman in 2013. Wagner is tied for Andy DeMichiei's 2017 total of 16 for the third-best single season mark.
Tanner Thomson became the fifth player in Marquette history to reach 60 career goals against St. John's on April 6. He joined Ryan McNamara (102), Conor Gately (77), Kyle Whitlow (70) and John Wagner (69) on the prestigious list. He currently has 64 in his career.
Thomson has scored in 17 of his last 18 games and has hat tricks in four of his last six since switching into the midfield from the attack.
SSDM Luke Anderson has scored eight of his nine goals this season in the last seven games. He's posted tallies in five of those contests and has three multi-goal games.
Eighteen players have scored a goal for Marquette and 11 have at least six points.
The Marquette program and head coach Joe Amplo captured their 50th victory all-time on March 16 against Michigan.

SERIES HISTORY: Marquette leads 5-1
MU leads 2-1 in Providence
4/12/14 H             W, 7-6 (Hart Park)
4/11/15 A             W, 14-10
4/16/16 H             W, 8-7
4/15/17                A             L, 9-7
5/6/17 A             W, 10-9 (BIG EAST Championship)
4/14/18                H             W, 12-11 (OT)
CAREER VERSUS PROVIDENCE:

Luke Anderson: 1 GP, 1g, 1a, 3 gb, 1 ct
Brendon Connolly: 4 GP/1 GS, 4 gb, 1 ct
Jackson Ehlert: 3 GP/3 GS, 3 gb, 5 ct
Griffin Fleming: 1 GP/1 GS, 2g, 2a
Nick Grill: 3 GP/3 GS, 4 gb. 4 ct
Noah Richard: 3 GP, 11 gb, 4 ct
Tanner Thomson: 4 GP/3 GS, 4g, 1a
John Wagner: 4 GP/3 GS, 5g, 2a, 5 gb

APRIL 26 NIGHT GAME AGAINST DENVER FEATURED ON FS1

The Friday, April 26 showdown with league favorite Denver at Valley Fields is scheduled for an 8 p.m. Central time faceoff on FS1. Marquette's BIG EAST opener at Georgetown also aired live on the BIG EAST Digital Network through FOX Sports Go.
The Golden Eagles will also host a pregame tailgate with a food, live music and a beer garden at the Shimek Track at Valley Fields prior to the game against the Pioneers. The event is open to all in the Milwaukee and Marquette communities and free to attend. Game tickets are $5 and can be purchased in advance or at the entrance on game day.

MARQUETTE TO FACE DUKE IN 'BATTLE AT BETHPAGE' ON APRIL 20

The Golden Eagles will play their annual game against Duke on Saturday, April 20 at Bethpage High School on Long Island in the "Battle at Bethpage VI."
Proceeds from the game will go to the Bethpage Educational Foundation, Inc. with donations for adults costing $10 and Children 12-and-under are $5. Attendees are also being asked to bring two cans of food to help support Island Harvest as part of the "LAX Fights Hungers" initiative.
For more information, visit https://bethpageeducfoundation.weebly.com/ for ticket purchasing information.

GOLDEN EAGLES SET FOR TOUGH FINAL MONTH

A difficult schedule awaits the Golden Eagles over the final month of the season, beginning with the March 23 game at then-No. 14 Georgetown. MU's annual midweek contest at No. 12 Notre Dame on April 10 is sandwiched by games against St. John's and Providence before Marquette closes the year with No. 6 Duke and No. 13 Denver.

ANDERSON STEPS UP IN JUNIOR SEASON

Defensive midfielder Luke Anderson has stepped up in a big way for the Golden Eagles on both ends of the field this season. The Lakeville, Minnesota native has been called one of the most athletic SSDMs in the country by head coach Joe Amplo and has shown his ability as a junior. In addition to being MU's top short stick D-mid, the 6-foot-3 210-pounder has scored nine goals and posted three assists in the first 11 games of 2019. Those goal (9) and point (12) totals are the highest single-season marks ever for a defensive midfielder at MU. Both totals top the previous high of four goals and seven points recorded by current assistant coach Jacob Richard during the 2015 campaign.

TANNER THOMSON RETURNS FROM REDSHIRT

Fifth-year senior Tanner Thomson sat out the 2018 campaign after turning in an All-BIG EAST Second Team year in 2017 as a true junior. Thomson was MU's returning scoring leader entering last season with 39 goals and 55 points in 38 career games. He tallied 20 goals and added 14 assists as a junior in 2017 and was an All-BIG EAST Championship Team selection in 2016. Thomson is also a top prospect for the National Lacrosse League.
Thomson became the fifth player in Marquette history to reach 60 career goals against St. John's on April 6. He joined Ryan McNamara (102), Conor Gately (77), Kyle Whitlow (70) and John Wagner (69) on the prestigious list. He currently has 62 in his career.
Entering the April 13 game at Providence, Thomson (89 points) is tied with Tyler Melynk's 89 career points, which ranks fifth in MU history. He passed Melnyk on Saturday against St. John's to move into fifth all-time in goals (64 career goals).