No. 13/12 Marquette (8-1, 1-1 Big East) returns to action today against Bellarmine, fresh off the Golden Eagles’ first Big East victory against Villanova Saturday.
Bellarmine is one of the weakest opponents on Marquette’s schedule. The Knights are 2-5, and their two wins are far from impressive. Bellarmine defeated Robert Morris, who is 1-8, and Virginia Military Institute, who is winless in its last 10 attempts. The team is coming off an 8-6 loss to Mercer Saturday, a team the Golden Eagles defeated handily earlier this year.
Marquette knows overlooking Bellarmine could lead to a big setback in a head-turning season, with last year still fresh in their mind. Bellarmine defeated Marquette 10-7 in their last meeting, thanks largely to a four-goal performance from then-freshman Tucker Ciessau. The Knights also hung with Ohio State during the Midwest Lacrosse Classic this season, losing by only one goal. It might not necessarily be a comfortable victory this afternoon.
“I got a chance to watch them live,” coach Joe Amplo said. “Those guys are wired… At this point to them, out of conference they’ve got nothing to lose. I’ll expect them to be loose and confident.”
We didn’t really discuss last year’s game,” Amplo said. “We just try to move forward… Surely it’s in the back of the coaches’ minds, but for the players they just try to take it one game at a time.”
Graduate student attackman Jordan Greenfield will return to the lineup today after serving his one-game suspension. The Golden Eagles were able to overcome his absence against Villanova, as redshirt junior Kyle Whitlow scored three goals, and junior midfielder Blaine Fleming and junior attackman Conor Gately each added a pair of goals in the Golden Eagles’ 9-8 victory against the Wildcats.
Marquette will be jumping out of the Big East for one game. Amplo said it is strange moving away from the conference mindset, but added that his players are just excited to get another game under their belt.
“These kids, I think they just want to play,” Amplo said. “College kids, they don’t like practice too much. It’s a great opportunity to compete against another Midwest team. For our kids I think they’d much rather be doing this on a Tuesday afternoon than hear us gameplan for another game four days out.”
This afternoon’s game will be the final trip on the Golden Eagles long ten-game slate away from home. During Easter Break, Marquette will play its first game of the season at Hart Park when it hosts St. John’s Saturday.
Faceoff is set for 2 p.m. this afternoon. This is the third time this season the Golden Eagles will play at Frazier Stadium in Louisville. The Golden Eagles played Detroit and Ohio State when Bellarmine hosted the Midwest Lacrosse Classic. Amplo said the Golden Eagles are expected to play the Knights at least the next three seasons, as either a part of the Classic or in a separate game.
