Marquette men’s lacrosse (6-5, 1-2 Big East) struggled to maintain its stamina on Saturday, falling 14-2 to Providence (5-7, 1-2 Big East).
The loss marks just the second time in program history that the Golden Eagles have been held to two goals or fewer in a game. The first came earlier this season in MU’s 14-1 loss at Michigan.
Establishing control within the first few minutes, the Friars would not let up, overwhelming Marquette from the start. Senior midfielder attacker Ryan Bell had started it off for Providence just under three minutes into game play. Marquette tried to respond to the goal with four consecutive shots but was unable to come away with anything.
Throughout the remainder of the first quarter, everything was black and white as the Golden Eagles fell behind 4-0. Junior attacker Richie Joseph sealed the deal for Providence in the first quarter and continued to lead the team, finishing with five goals.
Senior attacker Nolan Rappis attempted to ignite a spark for Marquette in the second quarter, but the trend continued with Providence responding even louder and more aggressively.
Junior goalie Lucas Lawas recorded 16 saves, while the Friars had four.
Pressure from all angles of the field put the Golden Eagles in a difficult scoring position, and it wasn’t until 8:36 in the fourth quarter that senior attacker Bobby O’Grady posted the second and final goal for Marquette, marking his 24th of the season.
The Friars outperformed the Golden Eagles in nearly every aspect of the stat sheet. For a team that averaged 42.6 shots per game before Saturday, the Golden Eagles only managed 20 against Providence’s 53.
Dominating the possession battle, the Friars secured 39 ground balls compared to Marquette’s 20, successfully converting 2-of-5 extra man opportunities, while Marquette failed to capitalize on both of its.
Sitting 1-4 on the road, the Golden Eagles now turn their attention to Villanova on Saturday, April 19, in Philadelphia. The match’s opening face-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. CST.
This story was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at raquel.ruiz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuizMU.