The University of Connecticut women’s lacrosse team earned a 12-10 victory against the Marquette Golden Eagles on Apr. 25, clinching a place in the BIG EAST Tournament for the sixth consecutive season. The game took place at Morrone Stadium and marked the regular season finale for UConn.
The win holds significance as it ensures UConn’s continued presence in postseason play, giving them an opportunity to compete for the conference title once again.
Saturday was also Senior Day, with ten departing seniors—Nora Casey, Karsyn Burnash, Rayea Davis, Barlow Clark-Schoeb, Ava Plata, Grace Winkler, Chandler McHale, Alana Goldhaber, Brooke Surace, and Olivia Marlow—honored before the match along with their families. UConn never trailed during the contest and finished its regular season with a record of 7-9 overall and 3-3 in conference play.
Megan O’Brien led UConn’s offense by scoring a career-high five goals and adding an assist. Lucia Smigiel contributed three goals while Hadley Bethke scored twice and recorded one assist. In draw controls, UConn had a 15-9 advantage over Marquette; Barlow Clark-Schoeb collected seven draws while Abby Beran secured five draw wins alongside two caused turnovers and four ground balls. Beran’s two caused turnovers set her as the program’s all-time leader in that category. Goalkeeper Sofia Oximana made eight saves to secure her seventh win this season.
Marquette was led by Riley Jenkins who scored four goals for the Golden Eagles.
Looking ahead to tournament play next weekend at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium at the University of Denver, UConn will face No. 2 seed Georgetown in Thursday’s second semifinal at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The first semifinal features top-seeded X against No. 4 seed Marquette at 6 p.m., with all games available on ESPN+.
