With the joy of snapping a losing skid and sending the seniors off on a high note, history was made Saturday. For the first time in the program’s history, the Marquette women’s lacrosse team won the last game of the season.
With 14 seconds remaining in the second half, Marquette’s Hayley Baas broke a 7-7 tie and gave the Golden Eagles a win on the final day of the season. Baas’ goal broke a seven game winless drought and awarded Marquette (5-12, 1-6) its first win in Big East conference play with the 8-7 win in Cincinnati (2-15, 0-7) Saturday.
“This win was huge,” Marquette coach Meredith Black told GoMarquette.com. “It means a lot. We were hungry for it and wanted to have some success today and we did. It wasn’t easy and I think that’s so telling of our team that we’re able to overcome everything and do whatever it takes to get the victory.”
Black called a timeout with 1:43 to go, just after Cincinnati knotted the game at seven. Marquette won the ensuing draw and possessed the ball for the next minute and a half before Baas sent home the game winner.
With time still remaining, Marquette needed to win the draw to seal the victory. The Golden Eagles struggled with draws all season, but when it mattered most, Marquette’s leading point getter, Claire Costanza, won the draw and ran out the clock. The Golden Eagles dominated the faceoff circle in the second half 8-1, including the last four of the game. Marquette freshman midfielder Allison Lane won five draw controls on the day.
“It was why we won the game,” Black told GoMarquette.com. “We wouldn’t have been able to compete or come up with opportunities if that wasn’t the case. Allison (Lane) made an adjustment at halftime and she was huge.”
The Golden Eagles faced a 4-1 deficit with 14:15 left in the first half, but Marquette battled back thanks to Nicole Gleason’s first of two goals on the day and Juiliana Shearer’s goal with just more than a minute and a half to go in the first. Junior goaltender Sarah Priem kept the Golden Eagles in the game in the first half, facing nine shots and saving four. Marquette also dominated the first half in draw controls, winning 6 of 8 draws.
Marquette opened the second half just as they ended the first, scoring three goals in five minutes, taking a 6-4 advantage. The Golden Eagles made a habit of coming from behind to scare opponents in their last two games, but were on the wrong side of the comeback Saturday. The Golden Eagles traded goals with the Bearcats and led 7-5 with 15:43 to play. From there, the Bearcats made their move. Cincinnati scored twice and tied the game with just under two minutes left. However, Marquette was not going to be denied.
“Last year, we ended on a loss and going into summer with that kind of negativity wasn’t good,” Black told GoMarquette.com. “So this year, we’re going into summer with a lot of positive thoughts and a positive vibe and that’s what we want.”
