University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Hosts Conference Foe Marquette On Saturday
4/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Live Stream | | Big East Notes
Saturday's Match-Up
The University of Connecticut women's lacrosse team (6-4, 1-0 Big East) is set to play its first home game in 28 days when it hosts conference foe Marquette (4-7, 0-1 Big East) on Saturday (12 p.m.) at the George J. Sherman-Family Sports Complex. The Huskies enter this weekend with a perfect 3-0 record in home matches this season, and UConn has won six of its last seven conference games played in Storrs.
Connecticut boasts an all-time record of 2-0 against the Golden Eagles, who are 3-2 on the road this season. UConn edged Marquette, 11-10, in Storrs last year behind a game-high five goals from attacker Katherine Finkelston (Leonardtown, Md.).
Last Time Out
UConn topped Cincinnati, 10-4, on the road on Sunday in the team's Big East opener. Three Huskies finished with multiple goals, including junior midfielder Alyson Fazio (Methuen, Mass.), who matched a season-high with two goals in the victory. Attackers Grace Nolan (Marcellus, N.Y.) and Carly Palmucci (Herndon, Va.) each finished with a game-high three points for the Huskies, while junior defender Lauren Kwasnowski (Kingston, N.Y.) recorded four caused turnovers.
The Connecticut defense continued to shine this past weekend, allowing just four goals for the second straight match. It was just the fifth time in the last 45 games that the Huskies allowed less than five goals, and the eight goals allowed by UConn over the last two matches marked the lowest total for a two-game stretch since the 2004 season. Connecticut, which has now won its last three conference openers, earned victories in five of its six matches in March. Ă‚Â
Scouting The Golden Eagles
Marquette, losers of four of its last five matches, fell to Villanova, 10-6, in its Big East opener on Saturday. Six different players found the back of the net for the Golden Eagles, who scored the last four goals of the game and finished with a 23-16 shot advantage.
Junior attacker Claire Costanza leads all Marquette players with 38 points and 17 goals in 2015, and her 21 assists are good for the 12th-highest mark among Division I players. Midfielder Taylor Smith ranks second on the team in goals (12) and assists (2) to go along with a team-best 17 draw controls, while sophomore Fran Meyer is first on the team in ground balls (19) and second in caused turnovers (11).
Goalkeeper Sarah Priem has appeared in each match for Marquette in the cage this season, allowing an average of 9.55 goals per game. She ranks sixth in the Big East in saves (56) and saves per game (5.09), and she is one of eight Marquette players with double-digit grounds balls on the year.
Next Up
After this weekend, UConn will resume conference play with a home match against Temple on Wednesday, April 8. The action from the Sherman Sports Complex gets underway at 3 p.m.
