TicketsFeb. 13, 2011
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of Cincinnati lacrosse team dropped an 18-10 road decision to Jacksonville University, Saturday in the 2011 opener for both squads.
Katie Liberatore and Natalie Starvaggi each tallied a pair of goals on the afternoon, while Katie Kiriazoglou, Ali Mattingly, Laura Simanksi, MacKenzie Parsons, Maddie Fink, and Marissa Pierson all found the back of the net with single goals.
With UC trailing 8-7 at the half, Jacksonville came out and scored four times in the first seven minutes of the second half to push its lead to five, at 12-7 with 23:09 left.
UC got a trio of goals in the half from Fink, Mattingly, and Kirazoglou, but the Bearcats were not able to close the deficit and dropped to 0-1 on the young season.
Kylie Ramsland tallied three assists, while Liberatore addded a pair, and Paige Stratton finished with one. Jen Walsh got the start in net for the Bearcats. She made nine saves.
UC trailed 8-7 at the half after going in an early 3-0 hole in the first eight minutes of the match. Starvaggi tallied the first goal of the year for the Bearcats on a free-position shot with 20:21 left in the opening half.
After a JU goal on the next possession, UC scored twice over a four-minute span as Parsons found the back of the net at 18:29 and Simanski followed suit at the 14:05 mark to pull the Bearcats within one at 4-3. JU added a pair to make it 6-3 but then a strike from Ramsland to Liberatore made the count 6-4 with 9:23 left in the half.
The Dolphins made it 7-4 with 8:22 left but UC was not done offensively as Pierson and Starvaggi scored within 26 seconds of each other at 6:06, and 5:40, respectively, to make the tally 7-6. JU added another score at the 2:35 mark, making it 8-6, and UC closed out the first-half scoring as Stratton fed Liberatore who scored with seven ticks left on the clock, making the halftime margin one, 8-7.
UC will continue its four-match road swing to open the season next weekend at Davidson College and High Point University. The Davidson match is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. ET start on Friday and action at High Point will begin at noon on Sunday. UC plays its first home match against Oregon on Sunday, March 6 at 11 a.m. inside Nippert Stadium.