On a cold, snowy Saturday afternoon day in Milwaukee, it was anything but that inside of the Valley Fields Dome, as the Marquette men’s lacrosse team defeated Providence 16-11 in an offensive shootout.
Led by a combined nine goals from first-year attacker Bobby O’Grady and redshirt sophomore attacker Devon Cowan, the Golden Eagles put up their best offensive performance of the season.
“That’s what the team expects from those guys,” head coach Andrew Stimmel said. “They have a special connection together and are both dangerous offensively.”
Marquette came out firing on all cylinders, starting the game on a 6-0 scoring run in the first five minutes of play looking to set the tone in its BIG EAST lid lifter.
The Golden Eagles were led by a balanced scoring attack in the first quarter as the team’s first seven goals were each scored by a different player.
O’Grady posted a hat-trick in the opening frame for Marquette, adding to his already team-leading 20 goals entering the afternoon.
At the end of the first quarter, Marquette led 9-1 posting the team’s most complete quarter of the season.
In the second quarter, O’Grady added two more goals giving him five on the day before halftime.
At the break, Marquette led 11-3 over Providence, posting full control of the contest for the first 30 minutes of play. It is the Golden Eagles first halftime lead since March 12 against Drexel University.
In the third quarter, sophomore midfielder Pierce Washburn became the eighth different Marquette scorer on the afternoon, giving the home side a 12-3 lead with 11:04 left in the period.
After back-to-back goals from the Friars cut the lead to 12-5, the Golden Eagles instantly responded with three-straight goals in the span of 44 seconds to take a 15-5 lead with 2:09 left in the third quarter.
At the end of the third quarter, Marquette led 15-7 after Providence pulled two goals back in the final minute from Michael Chabra and Evan McGreen.
After missing several games due to injury, Cowan returned to action Saturday for Marquette, boosting the team’s offensive attack with a hat-trick in his first game back. Cowan’s third goal of the game gave Marquette a 16-8 lead with 10:07 remaining.
Cowan also added a game-high three assists, giving him a total of six points on the afternoon.
Despite conceding a couple of late goals, Marquette would hold on and record its first win since March 5. against Detroit Mercy.
“We just have to take it one game at a time,” Stimmel said. “I think today we found out a little more on what it takes to win, so we’re going to just enjoy this one right now and get back to work Monday.”
O’Grady finished the contest with a career-high seven goals and one assist, giving him a game-high seven points enroute to the victory.
“I give all the credit to my teammates,” O’Grady said. “They set me up and have the confidence in me to take those shots, but I feel like I have the easy job thanks to them.”
Not only was today’s game special to O’Grady because of his offensive performance, but because of the opportunity to play against his brother, Mike O’Grady, who plays for Providence.
“It was something that I have been looking forward to forever,” O’Grady said. “Our whole family came out too which was great, so it was a special moment for us.”
Marquette (3-6, 1-0 BIG EAST) will now look to build momentum off its win next Saturday in Queens, New York against St. John’s. Face-off against the Red Storm is set for 11 a.m. CST.
This article was written by Sam Arco. He can reached @[email protected] or on Twitter @SamArcoMU.
