Going into its final game of the 2026 regular season on Saturday, Marquette women’s lacrosse’s ticket to the Big East tournament was already punched.

The Golden Eagles’ opponent, UConn, needed to win to guarantee a postseason spot. And that is exactly what the Huskies got, claiming a 12-10 triumph on their senior day.

Over the course of the game, Marquette never once held a lead, starting with a 2-0 UConn advantage and a 5-4 halftime deficit behind a first half hat-trick by Megan O’Brien.

UConn opened the third with a commanding 3-0 run, fueled by O’Brien’s fourth goal and relentless attacking pressure. Rayea Davis added another, forcing a Marquette timeout as the deficit stretched.

Junior midfileder Eileen Dooley briefly stopped the run with her second goal, giving Marquette a needed spark midway through the quarter. O’Brien quickly answered with her fifth, a career high, before an unfortunate own goal extended UConn’s advantage further.

Graduate midfielder Hanna Bodner responded with a composed finish through traffic, but Uconn’s Lucia Smigiel completed her hat trick to maintain separation. The Huskies’ consistent scoring kept Marquette chasing, entering the fourth quarter facing a 10-6 deficit with limited time remaining.

Marquette rallied late behind junior midfielder Riley Jenkins, whose second four-goal performance of the season cut the lead and shifted late momentum. First-year attacker Dani Serrano capitalized on a free-position chance, tightening the score at a two-point deficit and creating late pressure with just minutes remaining.

Despite the push, UConn held on behind O’Brien’s five goals and their dominant third quarter performance.

With the loss, the Golden Eagles are the No. 4 seed at the Big East tournament, playing top-seeded hosts Denver on Thursday at 6 p.m. CST.

This article was written by Eamon Bevan. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @EamonBevanMU.