Junior attackman John Wagner’s goal with 5:16 remaining in Thursday’s BIG EAST semifinal game against Denver put the men’s lacrosse team on the verge of a comeback for the ages. The Golden Eagles were down only 8-7 after the goal and seemed destined for another one-goal game win.
Soon after, Marquette came crashing back down to Earth. Denver junior attackman Austin French scored one of his game-high five goals at the end of the game to effectively end the Golden Eagles’ season by a 10-7 final score at Villanova Stadium in Philadelphia.
The two-time defending BIG EAST champions will miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015, when they lost to Georgetown in the semifinals also at Villanova Stadium.