MILWAUKEE – The 2019 BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Championship presented by Jeep kicked off on Thursday at Marquette’s Valley Fields as No. 1 seed Denver and No. 3 seed Georgetown won in the Semifinals to advance to Saturday’s title game. The Pioneers defeated No. 4 seed Villanova 15-5 before the Hoyas upset the No. 2 seed and host Golden Eagles, 17-10. Denver and Georgetown will square off on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT in Milwaukee to determine who earns the BIG EAST’s automatic bid into the 2019 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship. The game will air live on FS2 with Patrick Reed and Rich Donovan on the call, and Meghan Caffrey on sideline.
 
No. 1 seed Denver 15, No. 4 seed Villanova 5
The Pioneers advanced to their third consecutive BIG EAST Championship final with a 15-5 win over fourth-seeded Villanova. Recently crowned BIG EAST Attacker of the Year Quintin Hoch-Bullen led DU with five points off four goals and an assist, going 1-for-1 on free position attempts.  Tied at 2-2 10 minutes into the contest, Denver scored nine of the next 10 goals to break open an 11-3 lead with 12 minutes to play. The Wildcats got no closer than seven the rest of the way despite three points (2g, 1a) from Brittany Bruno. Bruno added two ground balls and two caused turnovers, while rookie goalkeeper Alexa Moro had 12 saves. Julia Feiss added a hat trick and two assists for the Pioneers, while Hannah Liddy posted four points (1g, 3a), four ground balls and three caused turnovers. Villanova finishes the season 10-8.
 
No. 3 seed Georgetown 17, No. 2 seed Marquette 10
The Hoyas claimed their first BIG EAST Semifinal win since 2014 and advanced to the conference title game for the seventh time with a 17-10 upset of No. 2 seed and host Marquette. In a battle of recently crowned BIG EAST Co-Midfielders of the Year, GU’s Francesca Whitehurst prevailed, totaling a career-high eight points off six goals and two assists, along with five draw controls and two ground balls.  MU’s Grace Gabriel, who earned the honor for a second consecutive season, had three goals, eight draws and a ground ball. The Hoyas led 3-2 with 20 minutes to go in the first before closing the half on a 9-2 run to lead 12-4 at the break. Georgetown led 15-7 late in the second half before Marquette made a run, scoring three of the next four goals to make it a 16-10 game with 4:51 to play. The Hoyas kept the Golden Eagles off the board the rest of the way and added an insurance score by Whitehurst with 1:18 to go. Jules Horning had double-digit saves for the second straight game and third time this season in the setback. Marquette finishes the year 9-9 after claiming their second consecutive postseason berth.
 
Notes

• The No. 1 seed improved to 12-1 all-time in the BIG EAST Semifinals
• The No. 3 seed defeated the No. 2 seed for the fifth consecutive year and improved to 9-4 all-time in the semifinals
• BIG EAST Championship records: Denver, 3-2; Georgetown, 8-11; Marquette, 0-2; Villanova, 0-2
• Denver-Georgetown meet in the BIG EAST Championship for the third straight year; the Pioneers lead the postseason series 2-0
• Denver has never won the BIG EAST Championship; Georgetown has one title to its credit, coming in 2010