MLAX hosts Providence for BIG EAST home opener

Game Notes (PDF)

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's lacrosse team hosts Providence at Valley Fields on Saturday for its first home game in over a month.

Faceoff is slated for 2 p.m. Central time in the stadium at Valley Fields and the game airs live on FloSports with Scott Sudikoff (play-by-play) and Eric Simon (analyst) on the call. The broadcast will be produced by Marquette's Diederich College of Communications and live statistics are available though GoMarquette.com.

Single game tickets are available online for purchase for $5 and fans interested in group tickets are encouraged to contact the Marquette Ticket Office by email or by calling (414) 288-GOMU.

Capacity outside at the stadium expands to nearly 2,000 from just 500 inside the seasonal dome and concessions will be available under the bleachers at the east end of the grandstand. Beer and wine will be available for purchase in addition to the standard concession fare.
All who attend the 11 a.m. women's game against Georgetown in the season dome will be gain admission to the men's game immediately following.

The Golden Eagles will have a pregame moment of silence to honor former Team Impact teammate Kurt Hendrick, who passed away last summer after battling a terminal illness.

Following Saturday's matchup with the Friars, the Golden Eagles have just one home contest remaining on Saturday, April 20 against Villanova at noon CT.

MARQUETTE (4-7, 0-2 BIG EAST)

MU's veteran core has reached numerous statistical milestones this season, including a new program ground ball record for defenseman Mason Woodward (252), career assist record for Jake Stegman (77), career goal mark for Bobby O'Grady (111) and the 100-point threshold for both O'Grady (129) and Stegman (120).
O'Grady leads the Golden Eagles with 30 points on 23 goals and seven assists, while Stegman has a team-best 20 assists and 29 total points.
Marquette dropped its first two BIG EAST games at St. John's and then-No. 6/9 Georgetown. MU led the Hoyas 3-1 in the opening quarter and tied the game, 7-7, in the fourth on Will Foster's fourth of five scores.
BIG EAST Specialist of the Week Luke Williams won 19-of-22 draws and picked up 15 ground balls in the loss to the Hoyas. Both totals are the second-highest career marks for Williams, who now has 193 career ground balls, tying him with MU assistant coach and former USILA All-America SSDM Jake Richard.
Williams enters the game against PC with the fifth-best faceoff winning percentage in NCAA Division I (.625) and MU's team leader with 6.45 ground balls per game. He is also among the top six student-athletes in MU history in both ground balls and faceoff win percentage.
Goalie Caleb Creasor is a first-time starter this season as a graduate transfer and posted a career-best 18 saves in MU's March 16 loss to then-No. 8/9 Penn State in Springfield, Pennsylvania. The total is also the second-highest single-game mark in Marquette history.
Woodward is a member of the Tewaaraton Award Watch List and a consensus preseason All-America selection, with recognition from USILA, Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine.
MU graduate attackman Devon Cowan (99 career goals) is just one goal from becoming the third player in MU history to reach 100.
O'Grady became the program's all-time scoring leader with four goals against then-No. 13/12 Michigan on Feb. 24 to surpass Ryan McNamara's record of 102 in the process. O'Grady now has 111 career goals just 40 games into his career (it took McNamara 64 games to reach 102) along with 129 points, just three behind Cowan (132) for third all-time at MU.

PROVIDENCE (5-6, 1-1 BIG EAST)

The Friars are coming off a 15-12 win at Villanova on Saturday after opening BIG EAST play at home with a 15-10 loss to Georgetown. PC has won two of its three overtime games this season, at Stony Brook on March 9 and against crosstown rival Brown on Feb. 24.
All-BIG EAST Preseason Team selection Ryan Bell leads PC with 48 points this season on 14 goals and a team-high 34 assists. Bell, a member of the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, became PC's all-time assist leader on Saturday against the Wildcats. He leads the BIG EAST by six total assists and is the league's leader with 3.09 assists per game.
Richie Joseph leads the Friars with 33 goals this season and is one of six players with at least 10 markers. He leads the BIG EAST in goals and goals per game (3.00).
James Corasaniti was the lone goalie on the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team and is second in the league with 11.18 saves per contest, but ranks last in goals against average (13.55) and save percentage (.461).
Head coach Bobby Benson is in his second season at PC.

HISTORY WITH THE FRIARS

Marquette leads the all-time series, 7-4, but dropped last season's BIG EAST opener, 16-14, at a rain-soaked Anderson Stadium.
Five games in the series have been decided by just one goal and all of those have been MU victories.
MU is 4-1 all-time against PC at home but has never played the Friars in the stadium at Valley Fields on natural grass. The two outdoor games at MU were played at Hart Park in 2014 during MU's first BIG EAST campaign, and on the middle turf field at Valley before the seasonal dome was erected in 2016.
The series has included many memorable performances in addition to that one-goal triumph in the first matchup:
- MU held off PC, 10-9, in the 2017 BIG EAST Championship game in Providence for its second consecutive league crown.
- John Wagner scored the OT winner in 2018 at Valley Fields after MU rallied with four goals over the final 1:37 of regulation to tie on Griffin Fleming's goal with time expiring.
- Devon Cowan scored the winner in the fourth overtime period at PC in 2021.
Key MU players versus the Friars:
- Luke Blanc: 2 GP, 4g
- Devon Cowan: 4 GP, 9g, 5a, 14 pts
- Grant Evans: 1 GP, .600 FO% (15-of-25), 10 gb
- Will Foster: 2 GP, 5g, 1a, 6 pts
- David Lamarca: 3 GP, 9 gb, 1 ct, 1g
- Bobby O'Grady: 2 GP, 7g, 2a, 9 pts
- Jake Stegman: 4 GP, 1g, 6a, 7 pts
- Luke Williams: 3 GP, .585 FO% (31-of-53), 14 gb
- Mason Woodward: 4 GP, 22 gb, 6 ct

HENDRICK MAKES TEAM IMPACT ON MU

The Golden Eagles will honor Team Impact teammate Kurt Hendrick with a pregame moment of silence on Saturday.
Kurt spent much of last spring around team at games, practices and on campus visits. He sadly passed away in August of 2023 at the age of 16.
Kurt was thoughtful, creative, and compassionate. He cared profoundly for others and never let his own battle take precedence over another's need for his empathy. He had big plans to make an earnest difference in the world and has been deeply missed for his relentless positivity and sense of humor. Kurt lived ferociously with a bright smile and a sincere appreciation for the present. His impact will always be remembered in the men's lacrosse program at Marquette.
He fought every single day, and no matter the pain he was in or the amount of stress he was under, he continued to fight.
He started a 3-D-printing business, 3DK, and sold items at his local farmers market in Dousman, Wisconsin. He had a sweet tooth and loved TV sitcoms like Friends and The Office.

Keep up with the Marquette men's lacrosse program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteMLax) and Instagram (@MarquetteMLax) and 'liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteMLax).