MU Travels to Louisville for Key Road Test

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University women's lacrosse team responded to a season-opening loss at No. 7 Notre Dame with a terrific all-around team performance in a 17-6 win over Cincinnati on Friday afternoon at Valley Fields.

The Golden Eagles saw eight different players score goals, led by senior captain Megan Menzuber, who tied a single-game school record with six goals.

MU will look to get back over the .500 mark on Monday when it takes on the Louisville Cardinals. The Cardinals lead the overall series against the Golden Eagles, 5-1. Last year's 15-12 victory over UofL was the first win over the Cardinals in program history.

In the 2019 contest at Valley Fields, MU was led by five goals from senior Grace Gabriel. Madison Kane (three goals) and Shea Garcia (one goal) are the returners who had standout performances in the game and helped their team to a three-goal victory.

First draw on Monday in Louisville is set for noon CT with live streaming available on ACC Network Extra and live stats on GoCards.com. Follow along on Twitter @MarquetteWLAX for live in-game updates.

GAME DETAILS
Marquette (1-1) at Louisville (1-1)
University of Louisville Lacrosse Stadium
Louisville, Ky.
Monday, Feb. 17 at Noon CT
GoCards.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 45-78 (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 last year and leads the team with six goals (all against UC) in 2020. 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 last Sunday afternoon but responded positively with an 11-goal win over Cincinnati in their home opener on Friday.

LOUISVILLE: Louisville is led by third-year head coach Scott Teeter. UofL went 6-11 in his first year and 5-13 last season.The Cardinals return four of their top five scorers from last season, including junior midfielder Caroline Blalock, who leads the team with seven points (4g, 3a).

Junior attacker Ally Hall leads all scorers with five goals, while Allegra Catalano and Hannah Morris have scored three goals apiece. Another junior, Rachel Florek, leads UofL in net. She's played all 120 minutes thus far, saving 22 shots and holding a .458 save percentage.

KEY STORYLINES:

MU is searching for its first ever win at Louisville (0-4 all-time).
The Golden Eagles last road win came on April 13, 2019 when they beat ODU 17-7.
MU won five road games last year, its most ever in a regular season.
Megan Menzuber ranks second in the BIG EAST and first on the team with six goals.
Caroline Steller is tied for first in the conference in assists (four).
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: Louisville leads, 5-1
4/7/13                  A L, 21-2
4/24/14 A                L, 12-5
2/6/16                  A                L, 14-6
2/10/17 H     L, 13-12
2/11/18                A L, 16-8
2/10/19               H                W, 15-12

CAREER NUMBERS VERSUS LOUISVILLE:

Megan Menzuber: 3 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 4 SOG, 1 GB
Shea Garcia: 1 GP, 1 G, 1 SOG, 1 DC
Logan Dobratz: 1 GP, 1 G, 1 SOG, 2 GB
Madison Kane: 1 GP, 3 G, 0 A, 2 DC
Jules Horning: 2 GP, 1-1 record, 14 SV

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.

CAROLINE WORKING TOWARDS STELLAR 2020 SEASON
• Junior Caroline Steller enjoyed a solid sophomore season in which she scored 15 goals and dished out two assists. She played in all 18 games and started three. This season she will she her role increase significantly as she moves into the starting lineup full-time.
• In her team's first game of 2020 at Notre Dame, Steller tied for the team lead with two points, scoring one goal and dishing out an assist. She responded with two goals and three assists against UC and is tied for first on the team with seven points.
• "Steller has really worked on building her connections with her teammates and they just love to play with her," Fifield said. "She's gotten a good amount of playing time in her first two years here and that experience should help her make an even bigger impact in year three."

GARCIA RETURNS AS BIG EAST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
• A sophomore from Manhasset, N.Y., Garcia became the first Golden Eagle in program history to take home BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors last season.
• The attacker scored 29 goals to go along with eight assists. She also led the team (minimum 30 shots) with an .859 shots on goal percentage.
• She scored goals in 14 of the team's 18 games last season and tallied multiple goals eight different times. Garcia posted six hat tricks and one four-goal game in 2019.
• Garcia started off her 2020 season with two goals against Notre Dame, and three against Cincinnati. She's second on the team with five goals.

K(C)ANE YOU FEEL IT?
• Junior midfielder Madison Kane finished 2019 as the team's seventh leading scorer with 14 goals and nine assists in 2019. She's the only returning midfielder with more than five career starts under her belt. Kane was also recognized by the BIG EAST as a preseason all-conference selection.
• This year, Kane is off to a strong start. She's tied for third on the team with five points and ranks second in assists with three.
• "We're expecting Madison to lead our midfield unit," Coach Fifield said. "She's our most experienced player coming back at the position and she's really grown in her confidence in the past year."

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).