Women's Lacrosse Releases 2021 Schedule

MILWAUKEE – Head coach Meredith Black and the Marquette University women's lacrosse program has released the 2021 regular season schedule. This year's slate includes six home games, beginning with Notre Dame on Feb. 21 and ending with Denver on April 18.

"Putting together this year's schedule was very challenging for a number of reasons," Black said. "I'm excited our administration was able to help us put together a competitive non-conference schedule with an emphasis on local opponents. We'll get to play familiar foes in Notre Dame, Louisville and Cincinnati while getting to play Kent State for the first time."

The Golden Eagles 2021 schedule is highlighted by two 2019 NCAA tournament teams (Notre Dame and Denver) that both finished ranked in the IWLCA top-25 in 2020.

"We really enjoy playing top 25 opponents because it gives us a measure of where we're at as a team and magnifies our growth as a program," Black said.

The season begins on Sunday, Feb. 14 as MU travels to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats. The Golden Eagles won last year's meeting at Valley Fields, 17-6, led by a then career-high of six goals by Megan Menzuber.

MU's home opener is set for Sunday, Feb. 21 against Notre Dame. The alma mater of coach Black finished the 2020 season with a perfect 7-0 record. The Irish were the No. 2 ranked team in the country in the final IWLCA poll released in March.

Following their game against Notre Dame, MU plays at Central Michigan on March 5 before coming home for a three-game homestand. The Golden Eagles will play Louisville on Sunday, March 13 before opening up BIG EAST play against UConn on Friday, March 19. They'll play the Huskies again on Sunday, March 21.

"Conference games will be unique this year with playing back-to-back games in the same weekend," Black said. "It's going to be a new experience but an exciting one. There's a lot of emotion going into those conference games, and whether you win or lose the first game, we'll get the opportunity to play each team again right away."

Friday/Sunday doubleheaders will remain the theme throughout BIG EAST play as MU will play each conference opponent twice.

Coach Black will take her team to Villanova for a pair of games on Friday, March 26 and Sunday, March 28. MU wasn't able to play any BIG EAST games last year, but they fell in a hard-fought 15-13 battle against the Wildcats in 2019.

Two weekends later, MU hits the road once again, this time in Washington D.C. for a couple games against the Georgetown Hoyas. For the first time in program history, Marquette beat Georgetown in 2019, winning 14-12 against the No. 24 ranked Hoyas at Valley Fields. MU will look to earn its first ever road win at GT in 2021.

The Golden Eagles play their last games of the season at Valley Fields on April 16 and 18 against the University of Denver. This weekend will represent senior day as well as the Pancreatic Cancer Awareness games. The Pioneers finished 16^th in the final IWLCA poll in 2020 with a 7-1 record.

MU will close its 2021 regular season at Butler on April 23 and 25. The BIG EAST tournament is set for Thursday, May 6 and Saturday, May 8 in Washington, D.C.

Coach Black and the Golden Eagles will look to make their second consecutive appearance in the postseason after they hosted a BIG EAST tournament game for the first time in program history in 2019.

Schedules and championship information is subject to change based on local COVID-19 developments. All Marquette home competitions will continue to be held without fans until further notice in accordance with state and local guidelines. MU is working with health officials to evaluate a potential return for fans in some capacity this season.

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).

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