WLAX Hosts Cincinnati for Home Opener on Friday

MILWAUKEE – After dropping their first game at No. 7 Notre Dame, the Golden Eagles play their first of eight home games at Valley Fields this season against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

The two teams have played seven times since MU formed its team in 2012 and the Golden Eagles hold a 5-2 advantage in the series. Coach Black's squad is a perfect 3-0 at Valley Fields against UC.

Last year, MU fell 22-18 to Cincinnati on the road. Prior to that game, MU had taken five straight games in the series. Trailing 12-5 at halftime, MU went on a big run to cut the deficit to 18-15 but fell just short. Shea Garcia scored four goals to help lead MU.

First draw on Friday is set for 1 p.m. CT with live stats and live streaming available at GoMarquette.com. The first 100 fans through the door will receive Marquette women's lacrosse 'spirit gloves.'

GAME DETAILS
Cincinnati (0-1) at Marquette (0-1)
Valley Fields
Friday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. CT
GoMarquette.com

LIVE COVERAGE
LIVE VIDEO | STATS | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

MARQUETTE: The Golden Eagles enter their eighth season in program history in 2020 under head coach Meredith Black. MU is 44-78 (19-25 BIG EAST) all-time but is coming off its best season in school history in 2019. The Golden Eagles (9-9, 3-2 BIG EAST) finished second in the conference standings and hosted a BIG EAST tournament game at Valley Fields for the first time in program history.

Despite last year's success, Coach Black and company will be tasked with replacing six starters, including four of the team's top five scorers from last season. Departed seniors Grace Gabriel, Cate Soccodato, Charlotte McGuire and Lindsey Willcocks combined to score 138 goals and dish out 65 assists in 2019.

MU's top returning scorer from the 2019 season is senior captain Megan Menzuber. The attacker from Chanhassen, Minn., scored 32 goals (third on the team) and dished out 12 assists. She's joined by two-time All-BIG EAST defender Jocelyn Miller and a fourth-year starter in net (Jules Horning) as the team's most experienced players. 2019 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Shea Garcia was one of three Preseason All-BIG EAST selections for MU along with Miller and junior midfielder Madison Kane.

The Golden Eagles fell to a consensus top-10 team in No. 7/7 Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon. Garcia led the team with two goals and Caroline Steller added a goal and an assist.

CINCINNATI: Once again in 2020, Cincinnati is led by eighth-year head coach Gina Thomas (Oliver). The team is coming off its best season in school history, reaching the postseason for the first time.

UC went 12-7 (4-1 AAC) and finished as the runners-up in the inaugural American Athletic Conference season, losing the tournament championship game to Florida.

The Bearcats return several dangerous pieces from 2019, including do-everything attacker Monica Borzillo, who led the team with 108 points (61g, 47a). Kylie Nause (41g, 4a) and Alyssa Adams (36g, 6a) were the team's second and third leading scorers, and each returned for 2020.

UC lost its first game of the year, 16-11, to Louisville (whom MU plays on Monday). Freshman midfielder Peyton Mottice led the team in points with one goal and two assists.

KEY STORYLINES:

MU is 2-5 all-time in home-openers.
Marquette is 12-4 in its last 16 games inside the Valley Fields dome in the past two seasons.
Cincinnati defeated MU 22-18 in 2019, ending a streak of five consecutive wins in the series for the Golden Eagles.
Megan Menzuber has scored six goals in three games in her career against the Bearcats.
MU must replace 57 percent of its scoring (138-of-242) from 2019.
Megan Menzuber (32 goals), Shea Garcia (29), Caroline Steller (15) and Madison Kane (14) are the four Golden Eagles who scored double digit goals in 2019.
MU tallied assists on 103-of-242 goals (42.6 percent) last season and averaged 5.72 assists per game (37^th nationally).

SERIES HISTORY: Marquette leads 5-2

4/5/13                  A L, 14-5
3/28/14 H                W, 14-6
4/25/15                A W, 8-7
4/29/16                H                W, 8-7
3/19/17 A     W, 16-10
3/18/18                H W, 19-15
2/15/19               A                 L, 22-18

CAREER NUMBERS VERSUS UC:

Megan Menzuber: 3 GP, 6 G, 2 A, 7 SOG, 3 GB
Shea Garcia: 1 GP, 4 G, 6 SOG, 4 GB
Caroline Steller: 1 GP, 2 G, 2 SOG, 2 GB
Madison Kane: 2 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 1 DC
Jules Horning: 3 GP, 2-1 record, 24 SV, 82 SF

GOLDEN EAGLES SET TO COMPETE WITH YOUNG TEAM
• MU Head coach Meredith Black, who's been at the helm of the MU women's lacrosse program since its origin in 2012, will be tasked with replacing six starters, including four of the team's top five scorers from last season. "We're inexperienced as a group, but I love the energy, the passion and commitment that this team brings every day," Black said. "They've always wanted it, but this team wants it more than any team I've ever coached. They're all-in."

MU PICKED FOURTH, THREE NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAM
• MU's projected finish of fourth is the second highest preseason mark for the Golden Eagles since they joined the league for the 2014 campaign (projected third before the 2019 season).
• Shea Garcia (attack), Madison Kane (midfield) and Jocelyn Miller (defense) were selected for the league's all-preseason team, marking the second consecutive year MU has had three players garner preseason All-BIG EAST honors.

FIVE PRESEASON TOP-25 TEAMS APPEAR ON MU'S 2020 SCHEDULE
• The Golden Eagles will be challenged early and often in their 2020 campaign. The IWLCA top-25 came out on Jan. 27, and five top-25 teams appear on MU's schedule.
• Notre Dame, its opponent to open the season, ranks as the No. 7 team in the country. MU will also take on No. 3 Northwestern, No. 10 Denver, No. 19 Georgetown and No. 25 High Point this season, with three of those games being played away from Valley Fields.
• Marquette hit a program-first last April after a 14-12 victory over No. 24 Georgetown, marking its first-ever triumph over a top-25 opponent.

MARQUETTE HAS A "JULE" IN NET
• The four-year starter and Berwyn, Pa., native ranks first all-time in MU history in wins (20) and saves per game (7.76) while placing second in saves (382).
• She's appeared in 50 games over the course of her career and has started in every single game the past two seasons (36). Jules is a three-time Academic All-BIG EAST selection and made the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team in 2018 for her stellar performance in net.
• In 2018, Horning set the single-season program record with 153 saves. She tallied a career-high 19 saves at Georgetown (April 21), facing 37 shots on the evening. She posted seven double-digit save performances in 18 games.
• Last season, her best game came against then No. 24-ranked Georgetown again. She faced a career-high 49 shots and saved 18 of them in a 14-12 victory at Valley Fields.

MU BY THE NUMBERS - BIG EAST AND NATIONALLY (2019)
• Points/Game: 19.17 (2nd/32nd)
• Goals/Game: 13.44 (2nd/37th)
• Assists/Game: 5.72 (4th/37th)
• Ground Balls/Game: 17.44 (3rd/-)
• Draw Controls/Game: 14.56 (1st/25th)
• Shots/Game: 31.33 (2nd/32nd)
• Shot Percentage: .429 (2nd/44th)

NOTEWORTHY TRENDS TO KEEP AN EYE ON
• Marquette was 6-1 when scoring first last season and 7-1 when leading at halftime. The team's record dropped to 3-8 when its opponent scored first and 2-8 when trailing at halftime.
• MU was 8-1 in 2019 when scoring 15-or-more goals and is 27-2 all-time when hitting the 15-goal mark.
• The Golden Eagles scored double-digit goals 12 times last season, which is the most times the've done that in a season in their seven-year history.

HORNING, MENZUBER, VIVIANO NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS IN 2020
• "This year's captains were identified by their teammates at the end of last year and they've done a terrific job already," said head coach Meredith Black. "They're committed to improving, making their teammates better and doing whatever it takes to help the team achieve its goals."
• Horning, a senior goalie, is the only second-year captain among her peers.
• Menzuber is the team's leading returning points-getter from last year. Her breakout 2019 season saw her score 32 goals (third on the team) and dish out 12 assists (tied for second).
• A senior defender, Viviano redshirted last season after suffering an injury prior to the season. She's played in 30 games during the first three years of her collegiate career at MU, collecting 25 ground balls and causing 11 turnovers.

Keep up with the Marquette women's lacrosse program all season long through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteWLax) and Instagram (@MarquetteWLax) and `liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteWLax).