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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The University of Cincinnati lacrosse team opened its 2017 campaign on Sunday, falling 17-8 to Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. Freshman Monica Borzillo (Devon, Pa./Conestoga) wasted no time making a name for herself, scoring three goals and dishing out three assists in her collegiate debut.
// NOTABLES
- Cincinnati opened the season 0-1 while Ohio State improved to 3-0.
- UC fell to 0-6 all-time against the Buckeyes and 3-0 in games played at OSU.
- Head coach Gina Oliver is 0-3 against her alma mater since taking over the reins of the UC program in 2013.
- Borzillo's three assists place her 10th in UC history for assists in a single game. She also ranks seventh with nine total shots.
- Borzillo, freshman McKenna Rushford (Buffalo, N.Y./Amherst Central), freshman Amanda Fess (Fayetteville, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy), freshman Madison Foery (Washington, D.C./Georgetown Visitation Prep), freshman Gianna Napoletano (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough), freshman Alexandra Fess (Fayetteville, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy), freshman Taylor Kozloski (Glenview, Ill./Loyola Academy) and sophomore Jayde Sains (East Islip, N.Y./LIU-Brooklyn) all made their UC lacrosse debuts in the game.
// OLIVER's OPINION
"We dug ourselves into a hole that we couldn't get out of" said head coach Gina Oliver. "We need to figure out how to get more draw controls early, but I am proud of how we responded in the second half. We will watch film to get prepared for Friday. We have to challenge ourselves to put out 60 minutes of UC lacrosse."
// KEY PLAYERS
Cincinnati
Monica Borzillo | 3 goals | 3 assists | 2 caused turnovers
Amanda Donovan (Ellicott City, Md./Mount de Sales Academy) | 3 ground balls | 2 caused turnovers
Bridget Cleary (Centerville, Va./Chantilly) | 2 goals
Ohio State
Liza Hernandez | 4 goals | 2 assists | 2 ground balls
Molly Wood | 3 goals | 2 assists | 1 caused turnover
Mackenzie Maring | 2 goals | 4 ground balls | 1 caused turnover
// IN THE CAGE
CIN -- Alex MacAffer (Slingerlands, N.Y./Albany Academy for Girls) | 15 goals allowed | 10 saves
OSU -- Jill Rizzo | 7 goals allowed | 11 saves
// KEY GOALS
24:52 1st | CIN | Brooke Kovinsky (Monkton, Md./Hereford)
The junior scored the first goal of the 2017 season on a free position shot to get the Bearcats on the board. The goal stopped a 5-0 OSU scoring run.
19:43 1st | CIN | Monica Borzillo
Borzillo scored her first collegiate goal in the first period when she ran the ball from behind the cage and whipped in an unassisted shot for a 7-2 score.
9:02 1st | CIN | McKenna Rushford
After a 10-minute scoreless period, Rushford was the second freshman to record a goal in the game for the Bearcats after receiving a sharp pass from Borzillo to cut the OSU lead to 7-3.
5:42 2nd | OSU | Liza Hernandez
The Bearcats scored back-to-back goals to cut the Buckeyes lead to 14-7 but Hernandez stopped any potential comeback with an unassisted goal with just under six minutes remaining in the game.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats will head east for a pair of games on Feb. 24 and 26. UC will first face off against Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina, at 2 p.m. on Friday before traveling to Buies Creek, North Carolina, for a game against Campbell at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all of the latest information on Cincinnati lacrosse, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up to the minute updates, follow Cincinnati lacrosse (@GoBearcatsLAX) and Coach Oliver (@GinaOliverUC) on twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Facebook and Instagram.