MILWAUKEE -Â The Marquette University women's lacrosse program is heading into its ninth season in existence in 2021. The Golden Eagles were able to play 10 games in last year's COVID-19 shortened season, finishing 6-4 and playing only non-conference games. In 2019, MU (9-9, 3-2 BIG EAST) finished second in the conference standings, and for the first time in program history, hosted a BIG EAST tournament game at Valley Fields.
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Head Coach Meredith Black, who's been at the helm of the MU women's lacrosse program since its origin in 2012, has high expectations for her team this season, one that returns 35 letterwinners and 10 starters from 2020.
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"We're really excited to have all but two players back from last year," Black said "The familiarity with our systems and what we want to do will be really helpful as we go into a year with a lot of external challenges. We have a lot of talent and obviously feel good about the depth with 45 girls on the roster."
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11 of MU's top 12 scorers from last year are back, including 2020 leading point-getter Caroline Steller, who finished with 23 goals and a team-best 17 assists. Leading goal-scorer Lydia Foust, who broke out with 25 goals last season, returns for her junior year to anchor the midfield group.
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In addition to MU's 35 returners, 10 new freshmen have been added to the fold. Several of the newcomers made moves in the fall and have a great chance to crack the opening day lineup.
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"We have a really big team this year and with a 45-person roster it's important to get everyone reps," Black said. "With the COVID-19 pandemic it's crucial to have a lot of girls ready to play because if girls are out for any reason, we need to be able to have players step in."
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The team is set to return to practice on Monday, Jan. 24 to prepare for its Feb. 14 season opener.
 Attackers (12)
 2          Mary Dooley (Sr.)
 4           Caroline Steller (Sr.)
 6           Bridget Danko (RSr.)
 8          Hannah Greving (So.)
 9           Megan Menzuber (RSr.)
14          Mary Schumar (So.)
15Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Elle Wagner (Fr.)
21           Shea Garcia (Jr.)
28           Lindsey Hill (Sr.)
30           Elizabeth Escudero (So.)
32          Lauren Shaw (Jr.)
41Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kaitlyn Sydnor (Fr.)
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The 2021 attacker group returns its three starters in seniors Megan Menzuber and Caroline Steller and junior Shea Garcia. A redshirt senior, 'Zubes' will be going on her fifth year in the program. She opted to return for a fifth year after the 2020 season was shortened and she got the year of eligibility back. She'll be a crucial piece to the team and ranks in the top-10 all-time at MU in career points (123, 8th), goals (87, 6th) and assists (36, 5th).
Senior attacker Caroline Steller led MU in points (40) and assists (17) in a breakout junior season in 2020.
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One of last year's breakout players, Caroline Steller led the team in multiple statistical categories including points (40) and assists (17). Junior Shea Garcia was the 2019 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and has scored 51 goals thus far in her collegiate career, including 29 as a freshman.
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Associate Head Coach Caitlin Wolf, who specializes in coaching the attackers and midfielders, is excited to bring back all of her starters and build off the past couple seasons.
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"With Zubes, Steller and Shea coming back as attackers, those are three girls who have had a lot of success in their careers," Wolf said. "Then you throw in someone like Hannah [Greving] and our numerous other pieces, we feel good about the spot we're in."
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One of two freshmen to play in every game last year, Greving netted 14 goals and even earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors after scoring seven goals in a three-game span.
Seniors Lindsey Hill, Mary Dooley and Bridget Danko look to provide experience and depth for the attackers. Hill led that trio with seven points (two goals, five assists) in 2020.
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Sophomore Mary Schumar and freshman Kaitlyn Sydnor are two players to watch off the bench and into the future at the position.
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"When the 2020 season ended prematurely, I felt like we were just starting to hit our stride," Wolf said. "Our chemistry had improved, and we were in a good rhythm. The way we were starting to play fueled us to come back stronger and we've been able to build off those connections this fall."
 Midfield (15)
 3          Leigh Steiner (RFr.)
  5           Aubrey McLaren (So.)
10          Emma Soccodato (So.)
11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Josie Kropp (Fr.)
12          Caroline Peterson (Sr.)
13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kelsey Koch (Fr.)
16           Madison Kane (Sr.)
20          C.J. Froemming (So.)
22Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Samantha Galvin (Fr.)
23          Emily Becker (So.)
25          Caroline Blandford (Jr.)
35           Emily Cooper (Sr.)
37          Lydia Foust (Jr.)
42Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Molly Powers (Fr.)
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One of the deepest positions on the team is the midfielder spot, where the Golden Eagles get five players back who were regular contributors in 2020, including leading scorer Lydia Foust.
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"We were able to get a ton of reps for girls in the midfield spots in the fall and that's important because we feel confident in who can put in there," Wolf said. "Our staff needs to be comfortable with playing different combinations of girls."
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In addition to Foust, MU gets back 2020 Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Madison Kane, a senior who started every game last year, scoring 11 goals and dishing out 13 assists, which was good for third on the team. She's seen as a steady and consistent force at the position.
Lydia Foust goes to the net on her way to scoring one of her team-leading 25 goals last season.
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Another midfielder who is going to have an important role is Caroline Peterson, a senior from Phoenix, Md. Peterson started in every game last year, scoring a career-high 16 goals while tallying four assists. She had one hat trick and two four-goal games.
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"Like most teams, our upperclassmen are going to be a very important part of what we do," Wolf said. "At the same time, our young midfielders are really pushing the juniors and seniors in practice and we're excited for how they're developing."
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Sophomore Emma Soccodato is a breakout candidate after playing 10 games and scoring four goals a year ago. Redshirt freshman Leigh Steiner sat out last year due to injury and has a chance to earn major minutes this season as her athleticism and field sense have really stood out. True freshman Sammy Galvin is another a player to watch and has impressed early.
Defense (14)
 1          Maria Mulvihill (Jr.)
 7          Brynn Sunderland (Sr.)
17          Kate Pearson (So.)
18          Colleen Graham (So.)
19          Mary Blee (So.)
24           Nia Polk (Sr.)
26           Jocelyn Miller (Sr.)
29Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jasmine Marval (Fr.)
33           Erin Dowdle (RSr.)
34          Ellie Henry (RSo.)
36          Rebecca Cappaert (Jr.)
39Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Faith Chmielewski (Fr.)
43Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kaitlyn Huber (Fr.)
45Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Audrey Brett (Fr.)
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The Golden Eagles are set to return three of their four starters on the back line this spring. This includes fifth year senior Erin Dowdle and true senior Jocelyn Miller. Departed senior Kaitlyn Viviano is the only departure from this group and she's now on staff as a student assistant coach.
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Assistant Coach Emilia Ward, who enters her second year with MU, specializes in coaching the defenders and goalies. She's feeling optimistic about the overall talent and depth of her group.
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"Getting Erin and Jocelyn back provides a big lift to our defense," Ward said. "Both provide great leadership and make our defense better."
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Miller was a 2019 First Team All-BIG EAST selection while Dowdle made the second team.
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The player who earned the team's 'Hustle Award' in 2020 was redshirt freshman Ellie Henry. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native is thought of as one of the best pure athletes on the team and she's continued to improve her game. She had 44 draw controls and 12 ground balls last season and was also chosen as a team captain for the 2021 season.
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"Ellie had a fantastic season, and we think she's only starting to touch the surface of what she can become," Ward said. "Her athletic traits stand out, certainly, but she's much more polished and technically sound than she was a year ago when she essentially played off of raw instinct."
 Maria Mulvihill played in every game last year and once again will be depended upon to rotate in on defense this year. Fellow junior Rebecca Cappaert appeared in a handful of games and is set to provide important minutes.
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Sophomore Kate Pearson appeared in five games in 2020 and looks to see her role increase this year while freshman Audrey Brett is someone that really impressed in fall practice and will see playing time.
Executing on the draw is critical to the success of the Golden Eagles and they've ranked in the top three of the BIG EAST in the past four years in DC's. Last year MU finished ranked second in the BIG EAST with 16.78 per game.
 Emily Cooper, a senior out of Columbia, Md., will be Marquette's number one draw taker this season. She took second individually in the BIG EAST with 63 draw controls a year ago. Cooper is currently No. 5 all-time at MU in DC's with 91 for her career. She'll have a chance to break the single-season program record and rank in the top two all-time in school history.
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"We're going to win games by winning a lot of draw controls and having that transition into a very balanced attack," Black said. "It's going to have to be everyone, both attackers and midfield, that can be a threat to score."
 Ellie Henry also had notable success on the draw last season and came away with 44 DC's for the year. Mary Blee finished the year with six and will likely rotate in at that spot more in 2021. Freshman Josie Kropp impressed tremendously on the draw in fall practice and is going to factor in.
2020 team 'Hustle' Award winner Ellie Henry started all 10 games last year, excelling on defense and the draw. Goalie (4)
27           Sophia Leva (Sr.)
31           Jules Horning (RSr.)
38           Bella Dervin (So.)
40           Delaney Friel (Jr.)
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MU returns two stalwarts in goal in fifth-year senior Jules Horning and true senior Sophia Leva. They essentially split time 50-50 in 2020 and each played in all 10 games.
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"As a staff we're super excited to have both Jules and Sophia back this season," Ward said. "They both understand they bring something different to the table to help the team."
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The winningest goalie in program history, senior Jules Horning will be entering her fifth season as a Golden Eagle in 2021 having won 24 games in net. Her 429 career saves are a school record. Having her back for another season is going to be key to the defensive efforts this team.
Horning is MU's all-time leader in career saves with 429. She'll be going on her fifth year as a starter in 2021.
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A 2021 team captain, Macedon, N.Y. native Sophia Leva has been an excellent complement to Horning over the past couple seasons. She currently ranks third in program history with 111 career saves and holds a 5-1 overall record. She set the single season record with a .509 save percentage in 2020.
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"What makes these two special is that they're both fans of one another and get along great," Ward said. "They're competing with each other as opposed to against one another and they're outstanding leaders for our team."
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Providing depth at the position are junior Delaney Friel and sophomore Bella Dervin.
 UP NEXT:
The Golden Eagles begin the regular season on Sunday, Feb. 14 at Cincinnati. MU will play other non-conference games against Notre Dame, Central Michigan, Louisville and Kent State before heading into conference play.
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"We're thrilled to get the chance to play this year," Black said. "We are going to do everything we can to follow the advice of the CDC, our administration and the BIG EAST to have a fun and safe 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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