Well, the regular season finale against #3 Denver didn’t quite go the way we wanted, but the season isn’t over for Marquette women’s lacrosse, not by a long shot. The loss to the Pioneers settled the Big East standings, and the Golden Eagles will be the #2 seed in the conference tournament.

Big East Conference

Denver is the #1 seed with a perfect conference record of 6-0 this season. Marquette gets the #2 spot with only a loss to the top seeded Pioneers marring their league record. Connecticut will host the tournament at Morrone Stadium in Storrs, and they will also be the #3 seed with a record of 4-2 with both losses coming to Denver and Marquette. Villanova went 3-3 this season and thus snags the final spot in the four team field, and as was the case with the two teams in front of them, the Wildcats have only lost to the teams in front of them in the standings.

Most of the tournament will largely be played for bragging rights. Lacrosse Reference sees Denver, Marquette, and UConn all as locks for the NCAA tournament as of Sunday morning. Villanova sits as a “work to do” team in the projection, and I can’t think of a better situation for doing that work than finding away to beat Denver, the last undefeated team in the country this season. Would merely accomplishing that be enough to push the Wildcats into the field?

The semifinals of the tournament will be played on Friday, May 5th. Marquette/UConn will be the first game, and that might be a game between two ranked teams as long as the IWLCA/ILWomen voters don’t punish Marquette for losing to Denver. First draw is scheduled for Noon Central on Friday, and that will be followed by Denver/Villanova at 3pm Central although the timing on the MU/UConn game might cause a slight delay there. Both games will be streamed by way of the Big East Digital Network on FloSports. Friday’s winners will advance to the title game on Sunday, and FS2 will pick up the broadcast for that contest. First draw on Sunday is scheduled for 11am Central.

2023 Big East Women’s Lacrosse Tournament

Joseph J. Morrone Stadium, Storrs, Connecticut

Semifinals — Friday, May 5 — FloSports

12pm Central: #2 Marquette vs #3 Connecticut
3pm Central: #1 Denver vs #4 Villanova

Final — Sunday, May 7 — FS2

11am Central: Semifinal #1 winner vs Semifinal #2 winner