MLAX heads to Denver for regular season finale

Game Notes (PDF)

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's lacrosse team heads to Denver for its regular season finale on Friday evening at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium against the No. 19/18 Denver Pioneers.

Face-off against DU is slated for 8 p.m. Central time and a live broadcast will air on Altitude Sports and through Pioneers All-Access on DenverPioneers.com. Live statistics will also be available.

Friday's meeting will determine seeding for the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship, which is slated for May 5 at Cooper Field in Washington D.C. Georgetown and Villanova will compete in the event alongside MU and DU. The Golden Eagles earn the No. 3 seed with a win and a VU victory over GU this weekend, or the No. 4 seed with a loss. If MU and GU both win, there will be a three-way tiebreaker to be decided by goal differential among the Golden Eagles, Pios and Wildcats.

THE MATCHUP: The Golden Eagles are 2-10 all-time against the Pioneers with both victories coming in the league tournament in 2016 and 2017. The 2016 victory over the No. 1-ranked Pioneers in Denver helped Marquette capture it first league title and pushed it to a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. MU knocked off DU, 11-9, the following year in a BIG EAST semifinal at Anderson Stadium in Providence. Marquette has since lost five-straight meetings to Denver, though all but one contest has been decided by three-or-fewer goals, including a pair of one-goal decisions in 2019 and 2021. MU is 1-5 all-time against DU at Peter Barton Stadium.

Marquette's Devon Cowan scored twice in each of last season's meetings.

Previous five meetings:
4/28/18               A             L, 7-4
5/3/18 N            L, 10-7 (BIG EAST semis)
4/26/19               H            L, 9-8
2/20/21               H            L, 10-9
4/3/21 A L, 16-6

MARQUETTE (4-9): The Golden Eagles have lost three-straight games after claiming victories over St. John's and Providence to begin BIG EAST play.

Attackman Bobby O'Grady has earned five BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors and is MU's all-time single-season goal leader with 43 goals this season. The native of Milton, Massachusetts leads MU with 43 goals and 48 points in 13 games.

Through four conference games, O'Grady has scored a league-high 21 goals and leads the BIG EAST with 5.25 goals and 5.75 points per game. MU goalie Michael Allieri is also the league leader in conference games with 17.50 saves per contest.

All-BIG EAST defenseman Zach Granger returned to the field for the first time in a month on April 23 against Villanova, but the Golden Eagles are still without the service of USILA All-American Mason Woodward, who has missed the last three games.

DENVER (8-5): The Pios have won five of their last six games and are 3-1 in BIG EAST play with victories over Villanova, PC and SJU and a loss to Georgetown. DU is third in the BIG EAST in scoring (13.54 goals per game) and scoring defense (11.46/game) and is led offensively by JJ Sillstrop's 48 points on 30 goals and 18 assists.

Goalie Jack Thompson has seen action in 11 of DU's 13 games and is third in the league with a .529 save percentage and fourth in saves per contest at 11.64.

The Pioneers own non-conference victories over Utah, Ohio State and Towson, in addition to Air Force and Canisius.

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