MLAX hosts Bellarmine for rare Tuesday matinee

Tuesday, March 4

Milwaukee, WI

Noon CT

Marquette University

Bellarmine University

3/3/2025 11:28:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse

Game Notes (PDF)

MU has 10 days off following the contest until traveling to Utah on March 14

By: Communications

Game Notes (PDF)

MILWAUKEE – The Marquette University men's lacrosse team hosts Bellarmine for a noon Tuesday matchup inside the seasonal dome at Valley Fields.

The game airs live on FloCollege with Scott Sudikoff handling play-by-play duties from Milwaukee.

Live statistics are available through GoMarquette.com.

MARQUETTE (2-3, 0-0 BIG EAST)

The Golden Eagles are 2-3 following home victories over Detroit Mercy and Cleveland State and road losses at then-No. 15 Michigan, No. 1 Notre Dame and then-No. 13/12 Harvard.
MU fell 20-16 at Harvard in its last game on March 1 and was led by five points apiece from attackmen Bobby O'Grady and Nolan Rappis, each of whom scored four goals with one assist.
Marquette trailed by as many as seven against the Crimson but pulled the game within three goals heading into the fourth quarter. MU could not overcome 21 turnovers and eight failed clears despite holding a 46-42 edge in shots and winning 26-of-40 faceoffs.
A highlight of MU's last two contests is the recent emergence of freshman midfielder Noah Snyder, whose eight points have all come against Cleveland State (3g, 2a) and Harvard (2g, 1a).
Senior attackman Bobby O'Grady now has 149 career points and jumped past Jake Stegman's 140 in the game at ND on Feb. 15. He is currently the program record holder with 126 career goals and is three points from tying Ryan McNamara's program record of 152 points.
Senior attackman Nolan Rappis is MU's point leader (11-12-23) and set a program single-game record with 10 points (five goals, five assists) in the win over UDM on Feb. 8.
As a team, the Golden Eagles are third nationally in man-up opportunities with a .643 success rate (9-of-14) this season.
O'Grady, senior midfielder Will Foster and junior short-stick defensive midfielder Peter Detwiler are team captains for the 2025 campaign.
Former MU USILA All-American Jake Richard, a Team USA and PLL defensive midfielder, is in his first season as head coach at his alma mater. Richard has been involved with all 170 games in program history as either a student-athlete (2013-16) or assistant coach (2017-24). During his playing career, he led MU to the program's first BIG EAST Conference title in 2016 and still ranks among MU's all-time leaders in games played (fourth, 61), ground balls (fourth, 193), and caused turnovers (sixth, 38).

BELLARMINE (3-4, 0-0 ASUN)

The Knights are 3-4 this season after a 15-9 loss at LIU on Saturday. BU led 5-3 after 15 minutes but the Sharks scored all seven second quarter goals to pull away.
Bellarmine began the season with a 26-7 loss at then-No. 7 Duke on Feb. 1 and has played a pair of common opponents to MU in Cleveland State and Detroit Mercy. The Knights fell 16-10 at CSU on Feb. 18 before a home 16-4 win over UDM on Feb. 22 when MU hosted CSU.
John Alie leads Bellarmine through seven contests with 22 goals and 12 assists for 34 total points. Freshman Joe Alie is second on the squad with 14 goals, while Justin Wescoat is also in double figures with 10 scores.
The Knights are 16th nationally in shot percentage (.315) but are ranked in the lower half of Division I in most other statistical categories.
John Alie's 3.14 goals per game average is 17th nationally and his 4.86 points per contest are 15th.
Head coach Andrew Whitley is in his sixth season in Louisivlle.

HISTORY WITH THE KNIGHTS

Marquette and Bellarmine have met 10 times, and each squad has won five contests.
The Knights have won each of the last two games, including an 11-5 win last season in Louisville and a 11-10 victory in their last trip to Valley Fields on March 11, 2023.
Career vs. Bellarmine:
- David Lamarca: 3 GP, 8 gb, 11 ct
- Bobby O'Grady: 3 GP, 5g, 1a, 6 pts, 4 gb
- Nolan Rappis: 3 GP, 1g, 1a, 2 pts
- Mike Piriano: 2 GP, 1 gb, 3 ct

OFFENSIVE DEPTH EMERGING

O'Grady has been one of the most productive players since bursting onto the scene with a program-record 45 goals as a freshman in 2022. This season his fellow attackmen, Rappis and Carsen Brandt, have come into their own and have led the way for the Golden Eagles.
Rappis leads MU with 23 points through five games, while Brandt, a former high-level recruit, sits one point behind O'Grady with 15 points on the year.
The Golden Eagles are also able to roll two productive midfield lines for the first time in recent memory with Snyder and sophomore Beau Westphal each providing significant offense.
Snyder was the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Feb. 24 after posting the first five points of his NCAA career in a 15-7 win over Cleveland State with a hat trick and two assists.
Junior transfer Matt Caputo and senior Will Foster anchor the first midfield.

RAPPIS IS A REVELATION

Senior attackman Nolan Rappis is Marquette's point leader early in the 2025 campaign after little offensive production during his first three seasons on campus. The native of nearby Delafield, Wisconsin is an ambidextrous X attackman and has developed a quick rapport to MU's young but talented offensive unit.
He is the team leader with 23 total points on 11 goals and 12 assists through five games.
Rappis entered 2025 with just 16 total points in 19 career contests and currently is 15th nationally entering the week with 2.40 assists per game.
Rappis was named to the USILA Team of the Week and earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll recognition for his play against Detroit Mercy on Feb. 8. He was also on the league honor roll on Feb. 24 for posting a game-high six points (2g, 4a) in the win over Cleveland State on Feb. 22.

O'GRADY VAULTS UP MU RECORD BOOK

Bobby O'Grady burst onto the scene as the 2022 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and scored at an elite pace in his first three seasons at Marquette (2.65 goals per game). He's a three-time All-BIG EAST performer and was named to the league's all-preseason team in January.
Through 48 games of his NCAA career, he's the all-time program leader in goals (126) and man-up scores (24). He broke Ryan McNamara's program goal record of 102 against then-No. 13/12 Michigan on Feb. 24, 2024, in Naples, Florida.
He turned in a record-setting season as a true freshman in 2022, setting new program records for goals (45) and man-up scores (13). He also recorded just the fourth 50-point season at Marquette and tied a BIG EAST record with eight goals at St. John's on April 9, 2022.
O'Grady (149 career points) is just three points from McNamara's program points record of 152.

ANOTHER CHALLENGING SCHEDULE

The Golden Eagles will once again face a difficult non-conference schedule in addition to the always-challenging BIG EAST Conference slate.
In addition to the season opener at then-No. 15 Michigan on Feb. 1, the Golden Eagles faced the two-time defending NCAA Champion then-No. 1 Notre Dame on Feb. 15 in addition to then-No. 13/12 Harvard on March 1.
The BIG EAST Conference features two squads ranked in both polls in No. 17/16 Denver and No. 10 Georgetown, while Providence was recently ranked. The Hoyas are the unanimous preseason league favorites, while MU was tied for fifth with St. John's in the coaches' survey.

BRANDT IMPRESSED AS FROSH

Attackman Carsen Brandt played a large role early in his freshman season last spring and is expected to be a large contributor to the MU offensive unit. He notched his first hat trick of the 2025 season on Feb. 15 at No. 1 Notre Dame while being covered by USILA All-American close defenseman Shawn Lyght. He added a second hat trick alongside two assists on Feb. 22 against Cleveland State.
The 6-foot-3 native of Edina, Minnesota was the No. 54 incoming freshman last season, according to Inside Lacrosse, and ended the 2024 campaign with 16 goals and 12 assists while starting all 14 contests. His 28 points were third on the squad.
Brandt was mentored by former MU All-American and fellow Minnesotan Ryan McNamara and is one of the best prep players to come from the Gopher State. As a junior at Benilde St. Margaret's, he set state records for most points in state tournament history (21), most points in a tournament game (10) and most assists in a state tournament (12) and most assists in a state tournament game (seven).

NEW FACES ON DEFENSE AND SPECIALTY UNITS

The Golden Eagles lost a pair of starting close defensemen in Woodward and Noah Verlinde as well as all-conference faceoff specialist Luke Willams and goalie Caleb Creasor, who started every game last spring.
Poles David Lamarca (44 career games entering 2025) and Mike Piraino (22 games) return as MU's most experienced defenders and played both LSM and close defense last season. Ryan Kilcoyne served as MU's fourth defenseman and started four games last year in addition to serving on MU's man-down unit.
Head coach Jake Richard, a former D-mid himself, will rely upon team captain Peter Detwiler to lead MU's rope unit and contributions from younger players. Detwiler played in all 28 games (34 ground balls and seven caused turnovers) over his first two seasons at MU and grad student Jadyn Castillo redshirted last spring. Redshirt junior Brendan Boyle has also played both short stick and pole during his 25-game career.
In net, Lucas Lawas returns after playing just 38 minutes last season behind Creasor. Lawas played big minutes at the end of his freshman campaign in 2023, which featured overtime losses to three top-12 teams to end the season.
At the faceoff dot, native Wisconsinite Adam Slager (Stoughton) is the lone returner. Slager played in eight games in 2024 as a redshirt freshman, won 55.8% of his draws (43-of-77) and picked up 22 ground balls. All but one of his appearances came prior to the start of BIG EAST action.

FORMER GOLDEN EAGLES SHINE FOR TEAM USA AND IN PRO LACROSSE

Marquette is represented in the highest levels of the sport by some of the world's best lacrosse players in Liam Byrnes ('16), Jake Richard ('16), John Wagner ('19) and Mason Woodward ('24).
Woodward, now in his first season as assistant coach at his alma mater, was a first-round selection of the Utah Archers in the PLL College Draft and led the Archers to a repeat PLL crown in the summer of 2024. His play in the championship game was instrumental to the victory for the Archers with three ground balls and a caused turnover that spurred his own two-point goal to swing momentum.
Woodward, a defenseman ranked No. 30 in the 2024 PLL Players Top 50, concluded his rookie campaign with seven points on three goals and a pair of two-pointers, alongside 26 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. In two PLL playoff games he notched seven ground balls and caused four turnovers.
Wagner captured a silver medal in the 2024 World Lacrosse Men's Box Championship in Albany playing with Team USA. Wagner is fourth in MU history in goals (77) and sixth in career points (109) and helped the Golden Eagles to a pair of BIG EAST titles as a freshman and sophomore in 2016 and 2017.
Byrnes and current head coach Jake Richard helped Team USA to its 11th gold medal in the 2023 World Lacrosse Men's Championship from June 21-July 1, 2023, in San Diego, California. Byrnes and Richard are long-time members of the American training team and were selected to the active roster for the event in the fall of 2022.
Byrnes is all All-Premier Lacrosse League close defenseman and led Waterdogs LC to a league title in 2022, while Richard plays SSDM. Byrnes also plays box lacrosse in the NLL.

HOME GAMES ON FLOSPORTS

All home games for both MU men's and women's programs will be broadcast live on FloSports, the BIG EAST Conference's digital rights holder. Discounted rates for FloSports accounts are available by signing up through the Marquette portal for either men's or women's (signing up with either link will work for both sports).
Most BIG EAST games, home- and road-contests, will be available through FloSports. Check MU's online schedule for updated direct links to live statistics and broadcasts throughout the season.

IRON DISTRICT MKE, THE FUTURE HOME OF MU LAX

Iron District MKE, the new home stadium for men's and women's soccer and lacrosse sits on an 11-acre parcel of land that Marquette University sold in spring 2022 to Bear Development who, together with Kacmarcik Enterprises, is developing the area into a vibrant sports and entertainment district.
The development, bordered by N. 6th Street to the east, N. 10th Street to the west, and W. Michigan Street to the north, is centered around an 8,000-seat stadium, includes a 3,500-capacity indoor concert venue operated by the Pabst Theater Group, will have a 140-unit residential component, boutique hotel, in addition to dining, nightlife and retail operations.
Per the Milwaukee Business Journal (Feb. 24, 2025), construction on the facility is expected to begin this summer. The plan is to have the facility completed by the spring opening of the USL Championship league's 2026 season in March.

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