WLAX Wins at Villanova, 12-8

VILLANOVA, Pennsylvania — The Marquette women's lacrosse team (15-1, 5-0 BIG EAST) picked up a win in its regular season road finale Sunday afternoon, defeating Villanova 12-8 at Villanova Stadium.

With the win, Marquette concludes its regular season road slate with an undefeated 8-0 mark. The Golden Eagles also remain perfect in BIG EAST play, and will host No. 3 Denver next Saturday for the BIG EAST regular season title.

In a game which began as a defensive battle for both sides in the first half, the Golden Eagles opened up a lead to gain control with a 5-1 second quarter, taking a 7-4 lead into the halftime break. After being held to just one goal in the third quarter, Marquette scored four in the final frame including the final two goals of the game.

A pair of three-goal performances helped spark the Golden Eagles offense as senior midfielder Lydia Foust and sophomore attacker Meg Bireley picked up their ninth and sixth hat tricks of the season, respectively. Senior attacker Shea Garcia tacked on two goals, while Emma Soccodato, Mary Schumar, Tess Osburn and Hannah Greving each scored once.

Leading Marquette's passing efforts was senior attacker Mary Schumar, who entered the game as the nation's assist leader and added on four more to her total to go along with one goal.

As a team, Marquette took 34 total shots to Villanova's 32. The Golden Eagles committed just 15 turnovers, while the Wildcats committed 24, 10 of which were caused.

In net for Marquette, sophomore Brynna Nixon played all 60 minutes. She registered seven saves with a .467 save percentage, and also picked up a pair of ground balls.

Villanova (11-5, 3-3 BIG EAST) was led by Sydney Pappas, who finished with a team-high three goals.

UP NEXT: The Golden Eagles return home to face No. 3 Denver on Saturday, April 29, at 12 p.m. CT at Valley Fields in Milwaukee. The winner of that game will clinch the BIG EAST regular season title, and the top seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. 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)