After a 12-day rest period, the women’s lacrosse hits the road Friday for two weekend games against Cincinnati and Louisville. Though Marquette is independent this season, facing the Bearcats and Cardinals at the end of the season will make this meeting  rare between the teams because of conference realignment.

It has been a long season for the Golden Eagles. Since a 2-2 start, the team has dropped its last six games, the majority being blowouts. As a first-year program, it is somewhat expected, but the team wants to finish the remainder of the season on a high note.

The offense is in need of a major makeover, as it is ranked near the bottom of almost every offensive category. With the tougher part of the schedule coming up, the team must be more aggressive on offense if it wants to avoid more one-sided games.

Despite the recent offensive struggles, the defense has been showing vast improvement.  The scores may not show it, but the team’s play has.

Many games have been one-sided because the ball has been in Marquette’s own end for the majority of the game. Coach Meredith Black said the team worked on transition and full-field plays over the break, which have been problematic for her squad thus far. She said her team is relaxed, re-energized and ready to play after its break.

“We’re excited to get back out there and play,” Black said.  “We’ve just been taking the time to rest but also keeping our mentality of working hard.”

The improved full-field play will be on display Friday night as Marquette takes on Cincinnati.

Like Marquette, the Bearcats are not strong on the offensive side of the ball. They were even shut out earlier this season by No. 15 Loyola (MD), which is extremely rare in lacrosse.  However, even with the shutout, Cincinnati’s 10 points per game average is still higher than Marquette’s 7.40 PPG. Nevertheless, this is a winnable game. It will come down to which offense steps up.

“It will be a fight for us,” Black said. “I think it will be a great game, but I think we’re pretty evenly matched.”

Sunday’s game against Louisville is a different story. The Cardinals, though unranked, have one of the most lethal offenses in division one women’s lacrosse.  Behind junior midfielder Nikki Boltja, who has the seventh-best goals-per-game average in the country, the Louisville offense averages 14 points per game and will be a hassle for the Marquette defense.

“Our defense is strong, and I think we do good job on that end,” Black said.  “Playing a high-powered offensive team will be a good test for us, and I think our defense will be ready for that.”

Defense has been Marquette’s strong suit so far this season, especially with freshman goaltender Sarah Priem between the pipes. But if Marquette hopes to keep up with the Cardinals, it will have to be more aggressive on offense and control time of possession.

A tough weekend awaits the women’s lacrosse team, and an even tougher stretch of games follows, but the team believes it is up for the challenge.