TicketsCINCINNATI — The University of Cincinnati lacrosse team heads northwest to Milwaukee, Wis., to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+
The Bearcats are coming off a dominant 17–9 season-opening victory over Xavier inside the Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility.
// LAST TIME OUT
Powered by sophomore Alyse Keels’ perfect six-goal performance, Cincinnati opened its 2026 campaign in commanding fashion. Keels capped her night with a behind-the-back finish to the bottom left corner — a highlight-reel goal that pushed the lead to 16–7 with under nine minutes to play.
Cincinnati raced out to a 9–1 first-half advantage and never looked back, taking a 10–2 lead into halftime.
Sophomore Morgan Handzel, a Xavier transfer, controlled the draw circle with 14 draw controls — the second-most in program history — fueling a 21–7 edge in draws. The Bearcats also held advantages in shot attempts (40–31), shots on goal (29–20) and forced 11 turnovers.
Senior Lexie Wolfe delivered an all-around performance, tying her career highs with four goals and two assists while adding two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Senior Paige Counts added two goals and three ground balls, while captain Devon Cherry found the back of the net in the second half.
After Xavier trimmed the deficit to 10–4 early in the third quarter, Cherry responded to halt the momentum. Keels later took over in the fourth, scoring three times during a decisive run that sealed the eight-goal victory.
// SCOUTING MARQUETTE
The Golden Eagles entered 2026 following a 10–6 season in 2025, marking the program’s third 10-win campaign. Marquette averaged 13.94 goals per game (third in the BIG EAST) and led the league in shots per game (33.1), finishing with a plus-10 scoring margin.
MU opened this season with a 20–9 win over Eastern Michigan, its fifth-straight season-opening victory. The Golden Eagles dominated the draw circle (22–8) and placed seven players in the scoring column.
Tess Osburn led the way with seven points (4g, 3a), tying her career high and moving into sixth all-time in program history with 115 career goals. Hanna Bodner added three goals, while freshman Dani Serrano impressed in her debut with three goals and three assists. Riley Jenkins recorded a career-high four goals, and freshman Ella Mautz added two goals and an assist. In goal, Mikayla Yang earned the win, while freshman Jillian Howell made eight saves in relief.
Marquette returns 66 percent of its goals and 64 percent of its points from last season, including Bodner and Osburn, who each scored 45 goals in 2025. The Golden Eagles also posted 312 ground balls, 172 caused turnovers and an .850 clearing percentage last season, with four players earning Preseason All-BIG EAST honors entering 2026.
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