WLAX Defeats No. 24 UConn, 12-9

MILWAUKEE — The Marquette women's lacrosse team (13-1, 3-0 BIG EAST) defeated No. 24 UConn 12-9 Saturday afternoon at Valley Fields, earning its second win over a Top-25 opponent in program history.

"We're pretty evenly matched on both sides of the ball, so we knew this would be a tight, tough game," said Marquette head coach Meredith Black. "Our objective was to play at full speed and play to our standard. We really focused on what we need to do, and to do what we do well. We were able to play our game at a high, high level, and that was the game plan."

The Golden Eagles, who are now 13-1 overall with 10-straight wins, improve to 3-0 in league play to remain tied atop the BIG EAST standings. This was the team's second-ever win over UConn.

Marquette used a dominant first half and strong defense throughout to secure the victory. After allowing the game's first goal to the Huskies, MU went on to rattle off eight-straight goals to take a commanding lead, including three-straight from senior attacker Shea Garcia to close out the first quarter. Garcia went on to lead the team in both points (5) and goals (4) in the contest.

While UConn's defense tightened up late to allow the Huskies to inch back into the contest, MU held strong with a big defensive effort of their own. Sophomore Brynna Nixon had a stellar outing in net for Marquette, recording a career-high 14 saves with a .609 save percentage. This was tied for the eighth-most saves in Marquette history, and also put Nixon over 100 saves on the season.

Attacker Tess Osburn also had a big showing as the freshman went for the sixth hat trick of her career. Meg Bireley and Lydia Foust tacked on two goals apiece, while Emma Soccodato rounded out Mu's scoring efforts with one goal.

The Golden Eagles were also helped by efficient play, committing just 14 turnovers while having 24 successful clears on 25 attempts. UConn ended the game with more shots, having 36 to MU's 34, while each team recorded 23 on net.

The Huskies (8-5, 1-2 BIG EAST) were led by Lia Laprise, who finished with three goals and an assist. Landyn White played all 60 minutes in net for UConn, recording 11 saves.

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles hit the road to take on Butler on Wednesday, April 19, at 12 p.m. CT in Indianapolis. Links for live stats and stream will be available on gomarquette.com.

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)