Lacrosse hosts Bellarmine Saturday in home opener

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's lacrosse team hosts Bellarmine at noon on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Valley Fields in its 2020 home opener.

The game will air live on GoMarquette.com, courtesy of the Marquette Wire, MU's student-run media organization. Dan Avington and John Steppe will call the game, while live statistics will be available as will updates through @MarquetteMLAX on Twitter.

Marquette students who attend the game on Saturday can enter to win 2 VIF seats for Sunday's National Marquette Day men's basketball game against Butler. Contestants must check into the MU Rewards App as they arrive at Valley Fields to be entered. Two winners will be selected during halftime of the lacrosse game.

Tickets can be ordered in advance of game day in person at the Al McGuire Center ticket office, by phone at 414-288-4668 or on GoMarquette.com/tickets. Capacity inside the seasonal dome at Valley Fields is limited to just 500 spectators.

All fans in attendance will receive the team's schedule poster.

GAME DETAILS
Marquette (1-0) vs. Bellarmine (0-1)
Valley Fields (Milwaukee)
Saturday, Feb. 8 at noon CT
TICKETS

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

MARQUETTE (1-0): The Golden Eagles kicked off the Andrew Stimmel era on Feb. 1 with an 11-10 overtime victory at Cleveland State in which they rallied from a three-goal second half deficit. Freshman Chris Kirschner scored the winner just 25 seconds into extra time from near midfield while the CSU goalie was out of the net on a 10-man ride. Classmate Devon Cowan posted a game-high five points in the victory with a hat trick and pair of assists, while Kirschner, Holden Patterson and Peter Henkhaus also scored twice. Marquette returns four starters from last year's team and must replace three 20-goal scorers, three starting close defensemen and the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year at LSM.

BELLARMINE (0-1): The Knights, led by first-year head coach Andrew Whitley, fell 16-10 at Utah in the season opener on Feb. 1 after being out-shot 48-35 by the Utes. Bellarmine's goalies combined for 20 saves with JC Higginbothan and Ian Reilly evenly splitting duties. Reilly played the final 30 minutes and made 11 saves while allowing six goals. Benny O'Rourk and Landon Trout each scored twice for the Knights, who were picked to finish seventh in the eight-team Southern Conference.

KEY STORYLINES:

Saturday's game marks the 107th contest in the history of Marquette men's lacrosse, which played its first games in the spring of 2013. MU is 53-53 all-time entering Saturday as it begins its eighth season of competition.
Andrew Stimmel will face another first-year head coach for the second week in a row in BU's Andrew Whitley. Last week, Stimmel and CSU's Andy German made their NCAA Division I head coaching debuts.
MU must replace 57.6 percent of its scoring (87-of-151) from 2019.
Eleven of Marquette's 15 points against Cleveland State came from underclassmen, including eight from true freshmen.
Marquette defeated Bellarmine, 15-9, at Valley Fields in the 2019 season opener.
Holden Patterson and Logan Kreinz each scored their first career goals last season against Bellarmine and MU went 19-of-28 (.679) on faceoffs.
MU goalie John Hulsman played his freshman season at Bellarmine in 2018 and finished fourth in NCAA Division I in save percentage. He made six saves against his former squad last year.

SERIES HISTORY: Series tied 3-3
MU is 2-1 in Milwaukee (2-0 at Valley Fields)
4/23/13                A W, 9-8 (OT)
4/1/14 H (HP)       L, 10-7
3/30/15                A L, 9-3
2/20/16                H (VF)       W, 9-7
3/4/18 N     L, 7-6 (OT)
2/9/19                  H W, 15-9

CAREER VERSUS BU:

Luke Anderson: 2 GP, 1g, 1a, 5 gb, 1 ct
Anthony Courcelle: 1 GP, 4 gb, 2 ct
Ryan Fazio: 2 GP, 2g
Peter Henkhaus: 2 GP, 2g, 1a
Jared Hershman: 1 GP, 11-of-16 FO, 6 gb
John Hulsman: 1 GS, 6 saves, 5 ga, 37:38
Connor McClelland: 2 GP, 1g, 1a, 1 gb
Anthony Orsini: 2 GP, 3g, 1a, a gb
Thomas Washington: 1 GP, 8-of-9 FO, 6 gb

STIMMEL WINS NCAA HEAD COACHING DEBUT

The Golden Eagles gave first-year head coach Andrew Stimmel his first NCAA Division I head coaching victory with a 11-10 overtime triumph at Cleveland State on Feb. 1. Stimmel was an assistant coach on Marquette's first BIG EAST Championship and NCAA tournament team in 2016. He returned to Milwaukee in June 2019 following three very successful seasons as offensive coordinator at Yale, which included the 2018 NCAA National Championship and a national runner-up finish in 2019.

COWAN SETS MARQUETTE FRESHMAN DEBUT RECORD

Freshman Devon Cowan kicked off his NCAA career in impressive fashion at Cleveland State on Feb. 1 while posting a game-high five points with three goals and two assists. Cowan's point total is the most ever at Marquette for a freshman in a NCAA debut and ties graduate transfer Jordan Greenfield for the most points in a MU debut (3g, 2a at Lehigh in 2015). His hat trick is also the first ever for a MU player in a NCAA debut.

KIRSCHNER SCORES OT WINNER AT CLEVELAND STATE

Midfielder Chris Kirschner joined classmate Devan Cowan as a multiple goal scorer in his NCAA debut at Cleveland State. The freshman scored the overtime winner just 25 seconds into extra time on an empty net against a 10-man ride. Kirschner also had a second quarter goal waived off after MU was granted a timeout just before the half. He and Cowan are just the third and fourth freshmen to ever score twice in their Marquette freshman debuts (Anthony Orsini (2017) and Connor Bernal (2013)).

WOODWARD IMPRESSIVE ON CLOSE DEFENSE

Freshman Mason Woodward has big shoes to fill as the Golden Eagles look to replace three starting close defensemen and the 2019 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in LSM Noah Richard. The Towson, Maryland native was especially impressive in his NCAA debut, posting eight ground balls while causing three turnovers at Cleveland State on Feb. 1. His eight ground balls tie the freshman single-game record, with 2019 MLL Defensive Player of the Year Liam Byrnes, and is the most ever for a player in a Marquette debut. It is also the highest mark for a true freshman in program history.

GOLDEN EAGLES EXCEL IN THE CLASSROOM IN FALL OF 2019

The men's lacrosse team posted its highest cumulative semester grade-point average (3.24) in program history during the fall of 2019 and 46 individuals were named to the Athletics Director Honor Roll for GPAs at-or-above 3.0. Three student-athletes, Dylan Dobrosky, Devon Cowan and Mason Woodward each recorded perfect 4.0s.

ANDERSON SET MU SINGLE-SEASON SSDM SCORING MARKS

Defensive midfielder Luke Anderson stepped up in a big way for the Golden Eagles on both ends of the field last season and should make a run at all-conference honors this year. In addition to being MU's top short stick D-mid, the 6-foot-3 210-pounder scored nine goals and posted three assists in 2019. Those goal (9) and point (12) totals are the highest single-season marks ever for a defensive midfielder at MU. Both marks top the previous high of four goals and seven points recorded by current assistant coach Jacob Richard during the 2015 campaign.