TicketsApril 17, 2014
CINCINNATI - Dani Tunnell netted a hat trick, but it was not enough for the University of Cincinnati women's lacrosse team as the Bearcats fell to Rutgers, 15-6, on Thursday evening at the Sheakley Athletics Center.
Tunnell (Frederick, Md./Oakdale) netted three goals to lead the Bearcats (6-9, 0-5 BIG EAST), who also got a pair of scores from Taylor Young (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) and a single goal from Sarah Del Bene (Timonium, Md./Dulaney).
Rutgers (8-7, 2-3 BIG EAST) was led by six goals from Megan Clements, who scored twice on free positions and also won three draw controls. Katrina Martinelli added two goals and an assist, while Hailey Barnes and Jenny Vlahos each had a pair of goals and Lauren Sbrilli had a goal and an assist.
The teams played a relatively even first half, with UC holding a 9-7 advantage in shots and a 10-3 advantage in goals. The Scarlet Knights won six-of-nine draw controls in the period to help them hold a 5-3 lead at the break.
Young spotted UC to a 1-0 lead just less than three minutes in. The Scarlet Knights answered with the next three scores before Del Bene and Young scored the next to to tie the game. Rutgers got a free position goal from Vlahos, followed by a score from Clements with 26 seconds left in the first half to take a 5-3 lead into the locker room.
The early going of the second half saw Clements score again before Tunnell drove the length of the field on her own to cut it to 6-4 with 24:43 remaining. Unfortunately, that would be as close as the Bearcats would get, with Rutgers scoring nine of the next 10 goals to build a 15-5 lead. Tunnell scored on a free position with 1:57 remaining to provide the final margin of 15-6.
For the game, Rutgers held a 24-19 advantage in shots and a 16-7 lead in draw controls. The Scarlet Knights also took advantage of 31 UC fouls that led to 10 free positions, of which the visitors connected on seven tries.
The Bearcats will look to rebound on Saturday, April 19, when UConn visits the Sheakley Athletics Center for a Noon showdown. The game continues Social Media Weekend, as fans can follows the @UCLacrosse Twitter account for giveaways and trivia contests during the game.