Liam Byrnes Named Big East Defensive Player of the Week

Over the last few games, it's been clear that the defense for men's lacrosse has been standing strong.  First it was holding St. John's Kieran McArdle without a goal, then it was keeping a MU team close with a top 10 Notre Dame team much longer than the Irish expected.  They followed that up with keeping Providence off the board just enough to balance Marquette not scoring in either the second or fourth quarters against the Friars.  Those efforts earned BJ Grill and Jimmy Danaher nods as Big East Defensive Player of the Week for the past two weeks.

This past Saturday, Marquette's defense went into lockdown mode against Georgetown.  They allowed the Hoyas just one goal over the final 24 and a half minutes while the offense tallied eight strikes of their own, including Ryan McNamara's overtime game winner.  Long stick midfielder Liam Byrnes was a key component of that defensive charge, and for his efforts, he was named the Big East's Defensive Player of the Week.  It's the third consecutive week that Marquette's defensive corps has earned that award.  The redshirt sophomore from Long Island had five ground balls and three forced turnovers in the game, including two of those turnovers coming during MU's second half surge.  Byrnes, who is always noticeable roaring down the field with his 6'3" frame and long brown hair flying from under his helmet, played a big part in Marquette successfully converting all 15 of their clearance attempts in the game.

Byrnes wasn't the only Golden Eagle to earn the attention of the Big East this week.  Tyler Melnyk landed on the Weekly Honor Roll for his efforts in the Georgetown game as well.  The native of Canada had four goals on his Senior Day, including three in the fourth quarter alone to help power Marquette's comeback.  It was Melnyk's first game back after missing the previous two contests due to a hand injury, and he went out in front of the Marquette faithful in a memorable way.

Over on the women's side of the aisle, Elizabeth Goslee also earned a spot on the Weekly Honor Roll.  The defender known as Biz to her teammates had six ground balls and five forced turnovers during Marquette's two game homestand last weekend.  All five of those turnovers came in Marquette's 11-7 loss to Temple, and marked a career high for the sophomore from Cincinnati.  It's the first Big East Weekly Honor Roll nod of Goslee's career.