MLAX Returns Home to Face Mercer

The Marquette University men’s lacrosse team (2-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) will return to Valley Fields to host Mercer (3-3, 0-0 ASUN) on Saturday, March 7 at 12 p.m. CT. ESPN+ features the broadcast with Matt Yeazel (play-by-play) on the call.

LAST TIME OUT
Marquette fell 19–10 to No. 6/4 Harvard on Feb. 28 at a neutral site, despite the Golden Eagles jumping out to a 5–1 lead in the opening quarter. The Crimson responded with a key second quarter run to seize control and carried that momentum into the second half to secure the victory.

Offensively, Marquette was led by Tucker Mullen, who posted a career-high three goals, while Carsen Brandt and Jake Bair each added multi-point efforts. Marquette continued to battle at the face-off stripe and generated consistent offensive looks, but Harvard’s efficiency and depth on the offensive end proved to be the difference down the stretch.

HISTORY VS. MERCER
Saturday marks just the third-ever meeting between the Marquette and  Mercer, and the first match-up between the programs since the 2015 campaign. The series began on March 12, 2013, in Macon, Georgia, where the Golden Eagles earned a 14–11 victory in the first meeting.

The teams met again two years later in 2015, with Marquette securing another win, this time by a 14–6 score. In that game, current head coach Jake Richard, then a junior SSDM, recorded one of his four goals that season.

SCOUTING THE BEARS
Mercer enters the weekend with a 3–3 record through its first six games of the season. The Bears have shown discipline with the ball early in 2026, ranking 15th nationally in turnovers per game at 14.33.

Offensively, attackman Dillon Bush leads Mercer in both points (19) and goals (17) through the opening stretch of the season. Bush enters the match-up tied for 12th nationally in goals and tied for 25th in goals per game (2.83).

Sophomore attackman Will Zylstra has also provided consistent production, giving the Bears multiple offensive options. Zylstra ranks fifth in the ASUN Conference with 16 goals and has totaled 17 points on the year.

In goal, freshman Jacob Neuman has handled all but 23 minutes of action, anchoring the Mercer defense. Through six games he has allowed 75 goals while making 64 saves for a 46.0% save percentage.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
MU enters Saturday with Carsen Brandt and Nolan Rappis both ranked inside the top 10 in the BIG EAST in points per game, averaging 3.20 (5th) and 2.80 (9th), respectively.

Marquette has taken care of the ball early in the 2026 season, ranking ninth nationally and first in the BIG EAST with just 13.40 turnovers per game.

Marquette has also controlled play at the face-off stripe, leading the BIG EAST with a 52.3% face-off winning percentage, giving the Golden Eagles.

MULLEN ADDS EARLY SPARK
With the Golden Eagles graduating their all-time points and goals leader, Bobby O’Grady, head coach Jake Richard turned to a mix of returning underclassmen and a key addition in junior attackman Tucker Mullen, a transfer from the University of Virginia. Mullen appeared in 12 games at UVA, with his availability limited after undergoing open-heart surgery in 2023 following a diagnosis of coronary artery anomaly, a congenital condition that often goes undetected.

Coming out of high school, Mullen was rated the No. 55 overall prospect and No. 14 attackman nationally by Inside Lacrosse and earned Under Armour All-American honors. Now wearing No. 13, the same number O’Grady wore, Mullen has made an immediate impact for Marquette, ranking third on the team in points (13), second in goals (9), and second in shots on goal (20). His performances have been highlighted by a career-high four-point outing against No. 6/7 Notre Dame and his first-career hat trick with three goals against No. 6/4 Harvard.

FOREVER GOLDEN EAGLES
On the evening of Friday, September 5th, men’s lacrosse student-athletes Noah Snyder and Scott Michaud passed away in a vehicular accident near campus.

Noah, a business administration student from Getzville, New York, was one of six children. Scott, a biomedical sciences major from Springboro, Ohio, was a goalie and is survived by two brothers. Both were standout students, earning BIG EAST All-Academic Team honors in their first year at Marquette. They were beloved members of the program whose leadership, positivity and commitment to their teammates left a lasting impact on the Marquette lacrosse family.

The Golden Eagles continue to honor their legacy, united in brotherhood and inspired to carry forward the standard they helped build. The team wears helmet decals and jersey patches, incorporates their jersey numbers into team-issued gear. Head coach Jake Richard was also gifted custom shoes featuring silhouettes of Noah and Scott. At the conclusion of every team huddle, one player or coach will call out “43,” with the team responding “88,” ensuring their presence remains part of everything the program does.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.