Before the season began, women’s lacrosse knew replacing longtime goalie Sarah Priem would be difficult. They turned to freshman Jules Horning to resolve their problem, a fitting replacement given the similarities between the two.
Horning hails from outside Philadelphia in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, the same town and high school, Conestoga, as Priem. Like her predecessor, Horning played significant minutes her freshman year in goal. Despite her inexperience, Horning has played in 12 games for the Golden Eagles including eight consecutive starts.
“(This season has) been great, I think I’ve learned a lot and our team culture is awesome,” Horning said. “While some games haven’t gone how we hoped it would, it’s been good to learn.”
The freshman, whose teammates call her “juice,” committed to Marquette early in her junior year of high school. Horning was careful with her decision. Luckily for the Golden Eagles, she was familiar with Marquette because of Priem and fellow 2016 graduate Jacqueline Borzillo, another Conestoga product.
“I definitely talked to them during my recruiting process and that helped, but I was pleasantly surprised with Milwaukee,” Horning said. “The academic opportunities were there and so were the lacrosse ones, I just thought it would be a good fit. Not many people from around me know a lot about Marquette, so I thought it would be fun.”
Horning entered the season competing for the role with junior Molly Grozier, who only appeared in one game before the 2017 season. She started the first eight contests for Marquette. Before the season, head coach Meredith Black gave no indication on who would start, claiming the position was wide open.
“I never really thought about playing time or certain situations. I was just excited to play,” Horning said. “I just wanted to work hard and be a part of the team.”
Horning got her chance at the start of the BIG EAST season, and has started in every game since. She’s put up a .381 save percentage and has won in three of her eight appearances. She said the competition helped her improve her game.
“In high school there were girls older than me who played Division I and were really talented so I enjoyed that competition,” Horning said. “I’ve had a lot of fun this season. She (Grozier) has been great providing a lot of guidance and I’m excited I get another year with her.”
Being only a freshman, Horning has plenty of time to improve and make a lasting impression at Marquette. There have been moments during games this year where Horning has made big saves and shown flashes of a potential longtime starter.
Anchoring a defense that has allowed 228 goals, second worst in the BIG EAST, Horning has fared well against the likes of nationally ranked opponents such as Florida and Denver. The goalie said she’s looking forward to the offseason and looks back on her experience as a valuable tool for next season.
“As a goalie you can always improve, but as a team we have a positive outlook because our class brings a lot to the table,” Horning said. “The experience was really great just seeing what it’s like to play in college. It’s going to make everyone better because we know what it takes.”
