Marquette Makes History, Defeats No. 24 Georgetown

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University women's lacrosse team made history on its Senior Day as the program notched its first-ever win over a ranked opponent, defeating No. 24 Georgetown on Saturday afternoon at Valley Fields, 14-12.

Marquette (9-8, 3-2 BIG EAST), who also earned its first win over Georgetown in program history, finishes league play in a three-way tie for second place. The team has already clinched a tournament berth and now secures the No. 2 seed in the 2019 BIG EAST Tournament, hosted at Valley Fields on May 2 and 4, and will face No. 3 Georgetown on Thursday.

The Golden Eagles were led by senior Grace Gabriel's five goals, while graduate student Charlotte McGuire tallied four. Junior Megan Menzuber and freshman Shea Garcia rounded out multi-goal scorers with two each while senior Cate Soccodato added in four assists along with a goal.

The Hoyas (9-8, 3-2 BIG EAST) put two tallies on the board within the first three minutes of action, but Marquette responded with 23:56 to play in the opening half. McGuire and Soccodato connected for back-to-back goals (McGuire) and assists (Soccodato), but MU eventually trailed heading into the break, 7-5.

In the second half, Marquette had a pivotal four-score run spanning 4 minutes (24:47 to 20:47) in which Gabriel tallied two goals. Garcia evened the score at 9-9, and despite Georgetown scoring two in-a-row, MU responded with two of its own.

McGuire scored with 9:06 remaining on yet another assist from Soccodato to even things out at 12-12. Gabriel added in a pair of goals to take and secure the lead.

Junior goalkeeper Jules Horning had a season-high 18 saves, eight more than her previous best and just one shy of her career-high that she set last season at Georgetown.

The win marks the Golden Eagles' first of the season when recording fewer ground balls (1-7) and fewer shots (1-6). It's also only the second time this year Marquette has pulled off a win when trailing at halftime.

No. 3-seeded Marquette begins its second-consecutive postseason appearance against the No. 3 Hoyas on Thursday as it hosts for the first time in league history at Valley Fields.