TicketsOct. 3, 2012
CINCINNATI - Three NCAA Tournament qualifiers and national runner-up Syracuse highlight the 2013 University of Cincinnati lacrosse schedule, announced today by first-year head coach Gina Oliver.
"We are really excited about preparing for our upcoming season," said Oliver. "We have a challenging non conference schedule that I believe will help prepare us for BIG EAST play. Our goal is to compete and get better every day and an early season non conference matchup against defending Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champion Oregon will definitely give us an early read on where we are as a team."
UC will host seven home games this spring, including BIG EAST Conference contests against NCAA Tournament participant Notre Dame, as well as fellow BIG EAST foes Villanova and Rutgers.
Cincinnati opens its campaign on the road with a visit to Conway, S.C. to face Coastal Carolina (Feb. 15), followed by a trip out west to take on 2012 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champion Oregon (Feb. 24).
The Bearcats will welcome Niagara on March 5 for their home opener, followed by a trip to New Rochelle, N.Y. to battle Liberty on March 9.
Home contests against Liberty (March 14) and Presbyterian (March 17) lead up to the opening of BIG EAST play at Georgetown on March 22. League play continues with a tilt against Loyola (MD), winners of the 2012 BIG EAST Championships, on March 24.
UC welcomes Marquette on April 5 for their first home BIG EAST match, followed by a trio of road contests against Connecticut (April 12), 2012 BIG EAST regular season champion Syracuse (April 15) and longtime rival Louisville (April 20).
The Bearcats close regular season play with home tilts against Villanova (April 26) and Rutgers (April 28).
The 2013 BIG EAST Championships begin on May 2, lasting through May 4.
Head coach Gina Oliver will begin her first season as head coach of the Bearcats after five seasons as an assistant coach at Duquesne University. Oliver's squad features veteran returnees in attacker Marissa Pierson, who led the team last season with 28 goals, and goalkeeper Jennifer Walsh, who started all 16 matches in 2012. UC also returns sophomore midfielder Megan Bell who notched 21 goals as a freshman.