Finding Offensive Silver Linings In Two Women's Lacrosse Clouds

No one likes getting outscored 33-10 in 120 minutes of lacrosse. I don't think I have to explain that much further. But that it what happened to MU's women's lacrosse team over the weekend, falling 15-4 to #19 Connecticut on Friday and 18-6 to #5 Syracuse on Sunday afternoon.

There are some bright points to take away from these games, though. Before we get to them, it is worth mentioning that both opponents did take their foot off the gas in the second half, including lifting both starting goalkeepers after 30 minutes. But with Marquette rolling 10 freshman out in the starting lineup on Friday and nine of them again on Sunday, playing against the less experienced versions of these two teams is still beneficial to MU.

The good news from the Connecticut game is Claire Costanza posted her first career hat trick, including two against Shannon Nee, the Huskies' starting goalie. The freshman attacker has already shown a knack for finding the open teammate for a goal with her team high 21 assists on the season, and adding a scoring flair to her game will benefit Marquette on the whole. From a team perspective, MU was able to win faceoffs, taking an 11-10 advantage on draw controls.

In the Syracuse game, sophomore Nicole Gleason had an outstanding second half, getting two goals and one assist, including one of each in the last two minutes of the game. The assist was Gleason's first of the season, and capped off her first career three point game. Did it come with the game firmly in hand for the Orange? Sure. But anything that helps build confidence in Marquette's attackers going forward is going to help set the foundation for this program.

Up Next: Last game of the year! It'll be a road trip to face Notre Dame on Saturday at noon Central. The Irish are ranked #10 in the country in the brand new deBeer Media Poll.