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Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Men’s lacrosse aims for sixth straight against St. John’s

Cole Blazer gets second straight start in net
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(Photo by Ben Erickson/[email protected])

A week ago, Marquette secured its first victory against a top 10 opponent, then-No. 6 Villanova. This week’s opponent is a different story, as No. 17 Marquette heads to New York City to face a struggling St. John’s team.

Head coach Joe Amplo said in the past that the team hasn’t always responded well after big victories, so one of his major messages throughout this week was staying focused. This is the last time Marquette gets a full week of practice until the Golden Eagles’ final game, and despite the historic victory there are still some aspects to clean up.

“We certainly need to improve on off-ball defense,” Amplo said. “As good as the statistics were last weekend, we were not sharp off the ball … Our stickwork on offense is still a mystery to me. Sometimes we look like a JV team out there throwing and catching the ball. I think we missed a lot of opportunities.”

That all being said, it’s a luxury to criticize the way Marquette has played this season. The Golden Eagles are 7-1 in the Cascade/Maverik Division I Media Top 20 for the first time in five weeks and were chosen to make the NCAA Tournament in Lacrosse Magazine’s latest Bracketology.

Goalie Cole Blazer had a stellar performance last week, making 13 saves in his first career start. He was named the Defensive Player of the Week by the BIG EAST, U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association and NCAA.com. He’ll get the start in net again this week, his first road start.

“I’m just focusing on playing my game, trying to play like I did on Saturday, trying to play like I do in practice,” Blazer said. “I’m just trying to do my simple task.”

The Red Storm are 1-9 and have lost their last four games by a combined 33 goals. St. John’s isn’t without hope. Freshman attackman Colin Duffy burst onto the scene in his first career start, scoring four goals in the Johnnies’ 15-10 loss to Providence. He was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for his performance.

“That’s just another threatening guy that is playing confidently,” Amplo said.

The Red Storm could also get some injured players back in the lineup, including Eric DeJohn, a member of last year’s All-BIG EAST First Team and Rochester Rattlers draft pick.

This game is Marquette’s final tuneup before a string of four straight games in the Top 20 rankings or receiving votes. Marquette plays No. 1 Notre Dame on Wednesday before rounding out the season against Providence, No. 13 Duke and No. 4 Denver.

Faceoff is set for 11 a.m. CT Saturday in Queens. The game will be streamed on ESPN3.

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