MILWAUKEE, WISC. – Six Purple Eagles found the back of the net Thursday afternoon as Marquette (6-1) held on for a 13-12 win over Niagara (6-3) in non-conference women's lacrosse action from Valley Fields on the campus of Marquette.
 
Rachel Crane and Lexi Braniecki recorded hat tricks, while Lois Garlow and Riley Latray added two apiece and two other Purple Eagles tallied one goal in the loss. Jordan Roy played all 60-minutes in goal for NU, tallying 12 saves.
 
Game Recap
First Quarter
• Marquette got off to a fast start, scoring the first two goals of the contest before Latray found the back of the net after receiving the pass from Andra Savage making it a 2-1 game in favor of the home team.
• Exactly 30-seconds later, Marquette regained a two-goal advantage over Niagara, however Garlow notched her 20th goal of the season to put NU down 3-2 with 8:36 remaining in the quarter.
• After the Golden Eagles took a 4-2 lead, Eliza Wild would register her second goal of the season with Giordan Peck assisting the upperclassmen to keep Niagara within one.
• Marquette would take a 5-3 lead over Niagara with two and a half minutes to go in the opening stanza.
• With less than a minute to go, Braniecki would score for the Purple and White, making the score 5-4 at the end of the first period of play.
 
Second Quarter
• The Golden Eagles would jump out to a three-goal advantage with back-to-back goals to start the second.
• With 4:25 remaining in the quarter, Niagara would call a timeout trailing 7-4.
• With seven seconds left in the half, R. Crane would score on a free-position goal to pull Niagara within two, 7-5, at the break.
 
Third Quarter
• Garlow would score her second goal of the game, this one a free-position tally, to once again put NU down by one, 7-6.
• After two goals by Marquette, including a woman-down goal for the Golden Eagles, R. Crane would get the Purple and White back within two, 9-7, with a free-position goal.
• Niagara would once again call a timeout, their second of the contest, with 5:19 remaining in the third.
• The Niagara timeout proved beneficial for the Purple Eagles as Latray scored her second goal of the game to make it a 9-8 game with 3:52 remaining.
• The Golden Eagles would respond quickly once again, getting the goal back less than 30-seconds later, to make it a 10-8 game.  
• Before the end of the third quarter, Marquette would go back up by three, 11-8.
 
Fourth Quarter
• Marquette would score its third-consecutive goal for its largest lead of the afternoon, 12-8.
• Sophomore Jaclyn Crane would become the sixth Purple Eagle to find the back of the net on the day, making it a 12-9 game with 12:24 remaining in regulation.
• The Golden Eagles would notch their 13th goal of the contest to go back up by four with just over eight minutes to go.
• With less than three minutes to play, Niagara would get back within two goals, 13-11, with goals from R. Crane on a free-position, and Braniecki, following a stellar defensive play by the junior.
• NU would regain possession with less than a minute left leading to a Braniecki goal, her third of the contest.
• Marquette would win the ensuing draw and run out the final 30-seconds to hold on for the 13-12 win.
 
Niagara Notes
• Saturday marked the fifth meeting all-time between Niagara and Marquette, with the Purple and White moving to 1-4 in the series.
• Garlow and R. Crane reached the 20-goal mark for the 2022 season, joining Savage as the only three Purple Eagles with 20-plus goals this season.
• Braniecki and R. Crane recorded their fourth game this season with at least three goals.  
• Roy was one save shy of her career-high 13 she set last Saturday against Delaware.  
• Niagara caused eight turnovers, led by a season-high four from R. Crane.  
• Sydney Huhtala and R. Crane led NU with three ground balls apiece. Niagara finished with 14 as a team.
• The Purple Eagles were 17-for-22 on clear attempts and 9-for-29 on draw controls. Savage led the team with four draws.
 
Up Next
• The Purple Eagles open league play on Saturday, March 25, when it travels to Emmitsburg, Md., to take on Mount St. Mary's. The opening draw between Niagara and The Mount from Waldron Family Stadium is set for 12 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
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