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We're still more than three months away from lacrosse, but we've got Marquette's 2016 schedule to peruse.
The Golden Eagles will play eight of their 17 games at home at Valley Fields, including three of their final four and four of their last six games. There are a number of familiar names on the schedule, as well as three teams that Marquette has never played in program history.
Let's get to it, shall we?
| Date | Opponent | Time (CT) |
| Sat., Feb. 6 | at Louisville | 11am |
| Sat., Feb. 13 | at Johns Hopkins | 11am |
| Sun., Feb. 21 | at Michigan | TBA |
| Fri., Feb. 26 | California | 5pm |
| Sun., Feb. 28 | Colorado | 1pm |
| Sun., Mar. 6 | at Detroit | 12pm |
| Tue., Mar. 8 | at Northwestern | 3pm |
| Sat., Mar. 19 | Central Michigan | 12pm |
| Sat., Mar. 26 | at Denver | 12:30pm |
| Mon., Mar. 28 | Notre Dame | 2pm |
| Sat., Apr. 2 | at Villanova | 11am |
| Sat., Apr. 9 | Connecticut | 12pm |
| Wed., Apr. 13 | at Florida | 1pm |
| Sat., Apr. 16 | Temple | 1pm |
| Wed., Apr. 20 | Vanderbilt | TBD |
| Sat., Apr. 23 | at Georgetown | 12pm |
| Fri., Apr. 29 | Cincinnati | 5pm |
Here's a few things that jumped out at me:
- Head coach Meredith Black continues to have no fear in how she schedules her squad. There are five teams on this slate that ended the 2015 season ranked in the top 18 of both the Inside Lacrosse and IWLCA polls, and only one of those five - Florida - is on the schedule because of the Big East schedule. There's only so many games that MU can play in the season, and Black has intentionally scheduled four teams - Louisville, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, and Notre Dame - that should be considered likely to end up in the 2016 NCAA tournament.
- There are three teams on this schedule that MU has never played before: California, Central Michigan, and Denver. In the case of the Chippewas, Marquette has never had a chance to play them before, because this is their first year of D1 women's lacrosse.
- As far as the other 13 games, well, it could be a bit of a rough season if the Golden Eagles don't show major signs of improvement. MU has a record of 6-25 against the other teams, with the six victories being spread against just three of the teams (WE OWN YOU, DETROIT).
- Then again, Marquette did play Northwestern, Louisville, and Notre Dame as part of their fall ball exhibition schedule, so maybe they learned a trick or two for the regular season.
- Hopefully, that April 16th game against Temple does not stay on the schedule as listed. For right now, at least, that game is schedule at the exact same time that Marquette's men's lacrosse squad will be out at Hart Park playing Providence. MU has organized MLAX/WLAX doubleheaders out at Hart Park in the past, and there's really no reason to not do that again here.