Tickets// THE OPENING DRAW
The University of Cincinnati lacrosse team, winners of four in a row, will hit the road this weekend as the Bearcats are set for their first away contest in American Athletic Conference play Saturday at noon inside Johnson Stadium in Greenville, N.C., against host ECU. The Bearcats (7-5, 1-0 AAC) will look to remain on top of the league ledger by staying undefeated in conference play after last week's 11-9 home win over UConn while the Pirates (5-7, 0-1 AAC) are looking for their first win in league play.
// SMILE FOR THE CAMERA!
Saturday's game will be streamed live on the American Digital Network with Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), Kit McConnico (analyst) and Marilyn Payne (sideline) calling the action in Greenville. To 'tune in', visit Facebook.com/AmericanDigitalNetworkPlus to watch the live stream.
// FOLLOW US
GoBearcats.com is your one-stop destination for all things UC Athletics. Socially, the team can also be followed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with all using the handle GoBearcatsLAX. Head Coach Gina Thomas (@GinaOliverUC) also can be followed on Twitter.
// QUICK SHOTS
• Cincinnati enters the game at ECU with a 7-5 overall record and a 1-0 mark in AAC play
• The Bearcats have won four games in a row, the third-longest streak in program history
• UC has allowed nine or fewer goals to its past three opponents, tying the longest streak in program history
• That stretch includes the 11-9 win over UConn, the first win against the Huskies in program history, and the 19-6 win over Butler Tuesday
• UC's win over UConn also made UC 1-1 all-time in its conference debut games (L, 9-11 at UConn, 2009)
• Three players earned honors from the AAC last week, including the freshman (Nause) and defensive (Durso) accolades to go along with one Honor Roll (Borzillo) selection
• UC's 19-6 win over Butler marked the fourth time in 2019 the Bearcats have scored 19+ goals after it had happened just five times in the previous 11 years
• With all those goals (14.5 per game), the Bearcats have now scored 1,800 all-time goals in program history, meaning their 19th goal from now will mark the 1,819th in the UC's bicentennial year (1819 founding)
• A win Saturday would not only mean UC remains on top of the AAC standings, it also would tie several program records for season victories
• Among those hat tricks was Kylie Nause, who tallied her seventh in a row, the fifth-highest single season total in program history and longest hat trick streak in UC history
• Speaking of Nause, she currently leads all AAC freshman in goals scored (26) and total points (28)
• Borzillo continues to lead the AAC in overall points (5.83) and assists (2.58) per game
// A WIN SATURDAY WOULD MEAN...
• Tying a program record for wins in a season (8 in 2018)
• Tying a program record for conference wins in a season (2 in 2017)
• Tying a program record for conference road wins in a season (1 in 2018)
• Winning for the first time on the road in 2019 (currently 0-4)
• Tying the program's second-longest winning streak at five in a row (2014)
// SCOUTING: ECU
The Pirates are in their second year as a varsity program and are 5-7 (0-1 AAC) after going 2-15 on their debut in 2018. After starting the year 5-1, ECU has dropped six in a row, including a 14-10 decision at home to Vanderbilt last week in both teams' inaugural AAC contest. ECU and UC share one common opponent so far this year in Gardner-Webb, who ECU defeated, 18-11, and UC handled, 22-9. The Pirates have a balanced attack with five individuals scoring 24 or more points with Ally Stanton leading the way with 28 on 17 goals and 11 assists. She is one of seven players have scored 10 or more goals as well. Defensively, Christina White has started all 12 games and holds a 12.56 goals against average and a .444 save percentage after allowing 149 goals and making 119 saves.
// SERIES HISTORY: BEARCATS vs. PIRATES
Cincinnati and ECU have met once previously with the Bearcats winning, 16-7. That game was played last year in Cincinnati as part of ECU's inaugural varsity season.
// QUICK RECAP: HOME SWEEPING
• Cincinnati won both of its home games last week, taking down UConn, 11-9, in its inaugural AAC game before beating Butler, 19-6, Tuesday
• The wins were the third and fourth in a row, respectively, the program's third-longest winning streak
• Nause and Borzillo each tallied hat tricks and Durso recorded 11 saves as UC scored its first win over UConn in program history
• Nause and Kate Carney each scored four in the win over Butler that saw eight players score
// DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN
When playing their first game in a new conference, the Bearcats are now 1-1 thanks to the 11-9 win over UConn Saturday. Oddly enough, the first time UC played a conference game was in 2009 when the Bearcats were the newest members of the Big East. That year, UC lost its inaugural game, 11-9. The opponent: UConn.
// FIRST WIN
Not only did UC defeat UConn for its first conference win in the AAC, it also defeated UConn for the first time. Heading into the game, the Bearcats had never defeated the Huskies, dropping the previous 10 games.
// CHASING WINS
The Bearcats sit at 7-5 heading into the ECU game and will have four more games in the regular season afterward. To date, the seven wins are tied for the second-most in single season history with the 2009 and 2013 teams and one shy of the record of eight that last year's team recorded (8-9).
// MOST WINS
The seven wins, all of which have come at home, also adds a bit of history as the Bearcats have shattered the home wins record in a season that was previously five. Combined with those five wins from 2018, UC has won 10+ home games in a two-year span for the first time in program history with those wins surpassing the previous best two-year stretch of nine wins accumulated in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
// THREE AWARDS
Following the UConn game, three Bearcats were honored by the AAC for their play in the 11-9 win. Nause was named the AAC Freshman of the Week for the third week in a row; Durso was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week; and Borzillo earned an Honor Roll spot.
// RUNNING TOTAL
With the three more awards this week, the Bearcats have earned a total of 14 conference honors this year. That list includes attacker (Borzillo), one midfield (Adams), one defensive (Durso), four freshman (Nause) and five Honor Rolls (Gysin 2x, Adams, Borzillo and Mlkvy).
// BEAST MODE
Nause kept it rolling offensively as the top scoring freshman in the AAC added three goals to her total, giving her 22 on the year and 20 in her last six games, all of which have come on hat tricks. Already tied for 10th in program history for hat tricks, Nause scored three times in the UConn game, including twice in the opening half that saw UC jump out to a 7-1 lead at the break en route to its first AAC victory and first win over UConn in program history (1-10 all-time now). She bumped her hat trick streak to seven games in a row Tuesday with four goals in a 19-6 win over visiting Butler, bringing her total to 26 goals on the year.
// HAT TRICK HERO
After sifting through historical numbers, the hot streak Nause is on is unprecedented in UC history. Her seven game hat trick streak is the longest of any Bearcats player and nearly double the record set by Borzillo earlier this year with four in a row (she is currently on another four game streak as well). Among freshman, the previous record was three games in a row set by Borzillo in 2017 and Laura Simanski in 2009.
// TOP OF HER CLASS
Following Tuesday's game with Butler, Nause has now scored 26 goals and added two assists for 28 points. Her goal total is the most of any freshman in the AAC by 10 as ECU's Camryn Pennypacker has 16 this year. When adding in assists, Nause has a four-point advantage over ECU's Hannah Rzempoluch for the rookie lead as the Pirate has 24 points on 13 goals and 11 assists.
// TOP STOP
Durso came up big in the cage as she turned aside 11 of the 20 shots on frame she faced to help the Bearcats hold off the Huskies, 11-9, Saturday. Durso, who now has double-digit saves in six games this year with the 11 stops ranking second this season, posted five saves in the first half before halting six more in the second to preserve the win. During the second half, she also recorded one caused turnover on a pass from behind the cage toward an open opponent while also collecting two of her three ground balls on the day. She followed that performance up Tuesday by playing the first half of the Butler game, allowing just two goals and making two saves in 30 minutes.
// FEELING HONORED
Borzillo continued to have a hot hand for the UC offense as she tallied four points on three goals and one assist to help the Bearcats to their first win in AAC play as well as their first win ever over UConn, 11-9, in off-and-on downpours in Cincinnati. Borzillo, who continues to lead the league in points with 63 (5.73/game), extended several streaks of her own Saturday as her 20th career hat trick (#2 in UC history) saw her tally at least one point in her 28th-consecutive game, leaving her four shy of tying the record of 32 (Lindsey Marshall, 2008-09). Borzillo also has now recorded at least one assist in 12-consecutive games, which continues to build upon her own school record after she posted a 10-game stretch last year. Against Butler Tuesday, she added three more goals and four assists for seven points to lead the team to its 19-6 win over the Bulldogs.
// GOING STREAKING!
The Bearcats are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak, which stands as the third-longest in program history. With a win Saturday at ECU, the Bearcats would move into a tie with the 2014 squad that won five in a row and sit one shy of the 2018 team's run of six.
// GETTING GOALS
Last year, the Bearcats scored 201 goals to break a single-season record and become the first UC team to score 200 or more in a single campaign. This year, it doesn't appear the offense is letting off the gas as the team is averaging 14.5 goals per game in 2019 and have scored 18 or more goals in a game five times. To put that in context, the team entered the season having scored 18 or more goals in a game just seven times in the previous 11 seasons.
// BICENTENNI-GOAL
This year, the University is celebrating its bicentennial after being founded in 1819. Oddly enough, the Bearcats entered the season with 1,626 goals scored in their history, leaving them 193 goals away from scoring 1,819 goals. Fittingly, the team is rapidly approaching that mark after scoring their 1,800th goal Tuesday against Butler. Heading into the ECU game, UC is 19 goals away from scoring the 1,819th goal in the bicentennial year.
// TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS!
Heading into the weekend, Monica Borzillo continues to lead the AAC in both assists (2.58 per game) and points (5.83 per game) while sitting second in goals (3.25 per game) to rank fourth, ninth and 23rd, respectively, in the NCAA as well. Morgan Dukes is the other individual statistical leader for the Bearcats in the AAC as she leads the way with 3.50 ground balls per contest. As a team, UC ranks first in the AAC in both ground balls (30.42) and draw controls (14.33).
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// BACK-TO-BACK SCORING
Two weeks ago, the Bearcats scored 17 against San Diego State and 22 against Gardner-Webb, totaling a combined 39 goals for the back-to-back contests. That total is the second-highest back-to-back scoring output in program history behind only the 41 scored earlier this year in wins over Kent State (19) and Marquette (22). Additionally, the 39 goals scored mark just the fifth time in program history the Bearcats have scored 30+ in back-to-back games and the fourth time in the last three years. The first time it happened was in 2012 before UC making it happen once each in 2017 and 2018 before the two occurrences this season.
// GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!
With their 22 goals scored against the Runnin' Bulldogs, the Bearcats have now scored 20 or more goals in a game twice this year after also scoring 22 against Marquette earlier. While both goal totals tied the program record for goals in a game, Sunday's output marked the seventh time in UC history the team has tallied 20 or more in a contest. Additionally, UC has only scored 20 or more in two games in the same season twice: this year and in 2017 when it tallied a pair of 21-goal games.
// QUICK SCORES
In the Michigan game, Nause scored the first goal of the game just 40 seconds into the contest, a goal that ties for the 10th-fastest scored to open a game in program history and the third this year at or under 40 seconds scored by the Bearcats. Previously, Monica Borzillo scored 20 seconds into the game at #23 Virginia Tech for the third-fastest goal in UC history before Alyssa Adams scored at 39 seconds against Detroit Mercy for the seventh-fastest (tied) in program history.
// LOTS OF HELPING
In the Michigan game, Borzillo dished out six assists, tying her career high and program single-game record that she had set twice before with both games coming in her freshman season of 2017. Along with those records, her six assists now also rank as the single-game record in the American Athletic Conference, her second such record after setting the single-game points record earlier this year against Kent State with 11.
// HISTORIC GAME
Previously, the Bearcats scored a 22-18 victory over visiting Marquette, leading to several historical statistics in the process including the most points recorded in a single game with 34 (was 32), tying for the most goals scored in a game with 22 and seeing the most combined goals scored in a game with 40 (was 36). On top of that, the team recorded 12 assists to posted the third-highest single game total (record is 13) as well. Individually, several players recorded career highs in various categories with a trio of sophomores (Adams, Carney and Gysin) collecting several all-time Top 10 marks as well.
// ADAMS ADDS UP
Against the Golden Eagles, Adams scored five goals on seven shots while also collecting seven ground balls to set a trio of career-bests. Her five goals and five points surpass her previous bests of three goals and three points which she tallied twice in her career, most recently last year (April 23) against ECU. One of her goals was a free-position goal, which tied her career-best for the sixth time. In the game, Adams opened the scoring for the Bearcats as she found the back of the cage at 27:38 to stake UC to a 1-0 lead. She scored three times in the second half, including her fifth of the day with 3:51 remaining in the game to push UC to a five-goal advantage.
// GYSIN GOT GOALS
Similar to Adams, Gysin's day rewrote many of her single-game bests, including points (eight), goals (six), assists (two), shots (six) and caused turnovers (two). Her eight points rank tied for sixth in the program's single-game Top 10 while her six goals tied for the fifth-most in a contest. Gysin's first goal pushed UC to a 2-0 lead with her second snapping a 3-3 tie early on and started a run of seven in a row for the Bearcats with Gysin collecting the seventh in that streak to bring UC to a 10-3 lead. In the second half, she added her fifth at the 22:37 mark to put the Bearcats ahead by eight one again before saving her final goal for the 1:28 mark to push the Bearcats ahead by four late in the game.
// CLASSY
Adams and Gysin combined with fellow sophomore Kate Carney to have a huge day for the Bearcats against Marquette. The three scored 13 of the team's record 22 goals, recorded have of the assists (6-of-12) and tallied 19 of the team's record 34 points. Additionally, they added four ground balls, seven draw controls and two caused turnovers. Along with Gysin's all-time Top 10 single game marks in goals and points, Carney added her name to the assist ledger once again as she helped on four goals, tying for the eighth-most in a game in UC history.
// GAME RECORDS
On a single game level, Borzillo posted four and Sam Mlkvy two marks that landed on the all-time Top 10 as well in the opening weekend. Borzillo's 11 points are the most in a single game, surpassing the 10 she recorded twice previously. Her seven goals tied for second and is one off her own record while her four assists tied her for eighth with all of those coming in the game against KSU. She also added five caused turnovers against the Golden Flashes, tying for the fifth spot all time. Mlkvy's 11 draw controls against Ohio State ranks second all-time in a single game while her 10 shots against KSU tied for the 10th.
// PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
Ahead of the inaugural season, the AAC announced the results of the coaches' poll with the Bearcats selected to finish fifth. According to the coaches, the predicted finish is Florida (25 points), Vanderbilt (18), UConn (17), Temple (16), UC (9) and ECU (5). In the IWLCA Division I Preseason Poll (January 28), Florida enters the season ranked #6 nationally, the only member of the AAC in the Top 25.
// FEELING HONORED
Ahead of the season, the league coaches also voted for individual honors with three Bearcats being selected to the 2019 Preseason AAC All-Conference Team. That trio includes Monica Borzillo, who was unanimously selected to the list, Amanda Donovan and Sam Mlkvy. The honors are the first preseason awards in each players career with Borzillo (twice) and Donovan (once) previously being selected as BIG EAST All-Conference Second Team with Borzillo's honors coming in 2017 and 2018 and Donovan being selected in 2017.
// FIRST TIME AWARDS
Not only were the selections for those three players the first preseason awards of their careers, they also marked the first preseason awards earned by any Bearcats player in program history. Previously, no UC player had been named to a preseason list in the BIG EAST with Borzillo and Donovan standing as two of just five players to earn postseason accolades.
// CROWNING A CHAMP IN THE QUEEN CITY
The 2019 American Athletic Conference Lacrosse Tournament will be coming to Cincinnati in May with three games being played at the Sheakley Athletics Center on the UC campus. The Top 4 teams in the final regular season standings will play for the postseason crown and a spot in the NCAA Tournament with the AAC semifinals taking place Thursday, May 2, and the final Saturday, May 4. Game times and ticket pricing will be made available closer to the start of the tournament.
// PLAYING HOST
While the Bearcats will playing host to their first lacrosse conference tournament in 2019, the University of Cincinnati is no stranger to welcoming the American to town for a conference event as this year's event will mark the third-consecutive academic year UC has held an AAC championship event. It began in the 2016-17 academic year with the 2016 AAC Cross Country Championships being contested at Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester. One academic year later, Gettler Stadium served as the site of the 2018 AAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
// MAKING THE GRADE
Following the fall semester, the grades were tabulated and the Bearcats recorded a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.466 as 23 of the players posted at least a 3.0 GPA. To top that off, 15 players held GPAs of 3.4 or better in the semester to be named to the Dean's List while five of those players - Alyssa Adams, Monica Borzillo, Kate Brocato, Maria Collacchi and Alexandra Fess - each were named TopCats as they all posted perfect 4.0 GPAs.
// NEXT TIME
After playing three games in seven days, the Bearcats will get a bit of break in the action as they will not play again until next Saturday when Temple comes to town. The Bearcats and Owls will meet at noon Saturday, April 13, inside Gettler Stadium for the Bearcats' annual Wear White Game. All fans are encouraged to wear white in support of the Bearcats.
The University of Cincinnati lacrosse team, winners of four in a row, will hit the road this weekend as the Bearcats are set for their first away contest in American Athletic Conference play Saturday at noon inside Johnson Stadium in Greenville, N.C., against host ECU. The Bearcats (7-5, 1-0 AAC) will look to remain on top of the league ledger by staying undefeated in conference play after last week's 11-9 home win over UConn while the Pirates (5-7, 0-1 AAC) are looking for their first win in league play.
// SMILE FOR THE CAMERA!
Saturday's game will be streamed live on the American Digital Network with Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), Kit McConnico (analyst) and Marilyn Payne (sideline) calling the action in Greenville. To 'tune in', visit Facebook.com/AmericanDigitalNetworkPlus to watch the live stream.
// FOLLOW US
GoBearcats.com is your one-stop destination for all things UC Athletics. Socially, the team can also be followed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with all using the handle GoBearcatsLAX. Head Coach Gina Thomas (@GinaOliverUC) also can be followed on Twitter.
// QUICK SHOTS
• Cincinnati enters the game at ECU with a 7-5 overall record and a 1-0 mark in AAC play
• The Bearcats have won four games in a row, the third-longest streak in program history
• UC has allowed nine or fewer goals to its past three opponents, tying the longest streak in program history
• That stretch includes the 11-9 win over UConn, the first win against the Huskies in program history, and the 19-6 win over Butler Tuesday
• UC's win over UConn also made UC 1-1 all-time in its conference debut games (L, 9-11 at UConn, 2009)
• Three players earned honors from the AAC last week, including the freshman (Nause) and defensive (Durso) accolades to go along with one Honor Roll (Borzillo) selection
• UC's 19-6 win over Butler marked the fourth time in 2019 the Bearcats have scored 19+ goals after it had happened just five times in the previous 11 years
• With all those goals (14.5 per game), the Bearcats have now scored 1,800 all-time goals in program history, meaning their 19th goal from now will mark the 1,819th in the UC's bicentennial year (1819 founding)
• A win Saturday would not only mean UC remains on top of the AAC standings, it also would tie several program records for season victories
• Among those hat tricks was Kylie Nause, who tallied her seventh in a row, the fifth-highest single season total in program history and longest hat trick streak in UC history
• Speaking of Nause, she currently leads all AAC freshman in goals scored (26) and total points (28)
• Borzillo continues to lead the AAC in overall points (5.83) and assists (2.58) per game
// A WIN SATURDAY WOULD MEAN...
• Tying a program record for wins in a season (8 in 2018)
• Tying a program record for conference wins in a season (2 in 2017)
• Tying a program record for conference road wins in a season (1 in 2018)
• Winning for the first time on the road in 2019 (currently 0-4)
• Tying the program's second-longest winning streak at five in a row (2014)
// SCOUTING: ECU
The Pirates are in their second year as a varsity program and are 5-7 (0-1 AAC) after going 2-15 on their debut in 2018. After starting the year 5-1, ECU has dropped six in a row, including a 14-10 decision at home to Vanderbilt last week in both teams' inaugural AAC contest. ECU and UC share one common opponent so far this year in Gardner-Webb, who ECU defeated, 18-11, and UC handled, 22-9. The Pirates have a balanced attack with five individuals scoring 24 or more points with Ally Stanton leading the way with 28 on 17 goals and 11 assists. She is one of seven players have scored 10 or more goals as well. Defensively, Christina White has started all 12 games and holds a 12.56 goals against average and a .444 save percentage after allowing 149 goals and making 119 saves.
// SERIES HISTORY: BEARCATS vs. PIRATES
Cincinnati and ECU have met once previously with the Bearcats winning, 16-7. That game was played last year in Cincinnati as part of ECU's inaugural varsity season.
// QUICK RECAP: HOME SWEEPING
• Cincinnati won both of its home games last week, taking down UConn, 11-9, in its inaugural AAC game before beating Butler, 19-6, Tuesday
• The wins were the third and fourth in a row, respectively, the program's third-longest winning streak
• Nause and Borzillo each tallied hat tricks and Durso recorded 11 saves as UC scored its first win over UConn in program history
• Nause and Kate Carney each scored four in the win over Butler that saw eight players score
// DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN
When playing their first game in a new conference, the Bearcats are now 1-1 thanks to the 11-9 win over UConn Saturday. Oddly enough, the first time UC played a conference game was in 2009 when the Bearcats were the newest members of the Big East. That year, UC lost its inaugural game, 11-9. The opponent: UConn.
// FIRST WIN
Not only did UC defeat UConn for its first conference win in the AAC, it also defeated UConn for the first time. Heading into the game, the Bearcats had never defeated the Huskies, dropping the previous 10 games.
// CHASING WINS
The Bearcats sit at 7-5 heading into the ECU game and will have four more games in the regular season afterward. To date, the seven wins are tied for the second-most in single season history with the 2009 and 2013 teams and one shy of the record of eight that last year's team recorded (8-9).
// MOST WINS
The seven wins, all of which have come at home, also adds a bit of history as the Bearcats have shattered the home wins record in a season that was previously five. Combined with those five wins from 2018, UC has won 10+ home games in a two-year span for the first time in program history with those wins surpassing the previous best two-year stretch of nine wins accumulated in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
// THREE AWARDS
Following the UConn game, three Bearcats were honored by the AAC for their play in the 11-9 win. Nause was named the AAC Freshman of the Week for the third week in a row; Durso was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Week; and Borzillo earned an Honor Roll spot.
// RUNNING TOTAL
With the three more awards this week, the Bearcats have earned a total of 14 conference honors this year. That list includes attacker (Borzillo), one midfield (Adams), one defensive (Durso), four freshman (Nause) and five Honor Rolls (Gysin 2x, Adams, Borzillo and Mlkvy).
// BEAST MODE
Nause kept it rolling offensively as the top scoring freshman in the AAC added three goals to her total, giving her 22 on the year and 20 in her last six games, all of which have come on hat tricks. Already tied for 10th in program history for hat tricks, Nause scored three times in the UConn game, including twice in the opening half that saw UC jump out to a 7-1 lead at the break en route to its first AAC victory and first win over UConn in program history (1-10 all-time now). She bumped her hat trick streak to seven games in a row Tuesday with four goals in a 19-6 win over visiting Butler, bringing her total to 26 goals on the year.
// HAT TRICK HERO
After sifting through historical numbers, the hot streak Nause is on is unprecedented in UC history. Her seven game hat trick streak is the longest of any Bearcats player and nearly double the record set by Borzillo earlier this year with four in a row (she is currently on another four game streak as well). Among freshman, the previous record was three games in a row set by Borzillo in 2017 and Laura Simanski in 2009.
// TOP OF HER CLASS
Following Tuesday's game with Butler, Nause has now scored 26 goals and added two assists for 28 points. Her goal total is the most of any freshman in the AAC by 10 as ECU's Camryn Pennypacker has 16 this year. When adding in assists, Nause has a four-point advantage over ECU's Hannah Rzempoluch for the rookie lead as the Pirate has 24 points on 13 goals and 11 assists.
// TOP STOP
Durso came up big in the cage as she turned aside 11 of the 20 shots on frame she faced to help the Bearcats hold off the Huskies, 11-9, Saturday. Durso, who now has double-digit saves in six games this year with the 11 stops ranking second this season, posted five saves in the first half before halting six more in the second to preserve the win. During the second half, she also recorded one caused turnover on a pass from behind the cage toward an open opponent while also collecting two of her three ground balls on the day. She followed that performance up Tuesday by playing the first half of the Butler game, allowing just two goals and making two saves in 30 minutes.
// FEELING HONORED
Borzillo continued to have a hot hand for the UC offense as she tallied four points on three goals and one assist to help the Bearcats to their first win in AAC play as well as their first win ever over UConn, 11-9, in off-and-on downpours in Cincinnati. Borzillo, who continues to lead the league in points with 63 (5.73/game), extended several streaks of her own Saturday as her 20th career hat trick (#2 in UC history) saw her tally at least one point in her 28th-consecutive game, leaving her four shy of tying the record of 32 (Lindsey Marshall, 2008-09). Borzillo also has now recorded at least one assist in 12-consecutive games, which continues to build upon her own school record after she posted a 10-game stretch last year. Against Butler Tuesday, she added three more goals and four assists for seven points to lead the team to its 19-6 win over the Bulldogs.
// GOING STREAKING!
The Bearcats are currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak, which stands as the third-longest in program history. With a win Saturday at ECU, the Bearcats would move into a tie with the 2014 squad that won five in a row and sit one shy of the 2018 team's run of six.
// GETTING GOALS
Last year, the Bearcats scored 201 goals to break a single-season record and become the first UC team to score 200 or more in a single campaign. This year, it doesn't appear the offense is letting off the gas as the team is averaging 14.5 goals per game in 2019 and have scored 18 or more goals in a game five times. To put that in context, the team entered the season having scored 18 or more goals in a game just seven times in the previous 11 seasons.
// BICENTENNI-GOAL
This year, the University is celebrating its bicentennial after being founded in 1819. Oddly enough, the Bearcats entered the season with 1,626 goals scored in their history, leaving them 193 goals away from scoring 1,819 goals. Fittingly, the team is rapidly approaching that mark after scoring their 1,800th goal Tuesday against Butler. Heading into the ECU game, UC is 19 goals away from scoring the 1,819th goal in the bicentennial year.
// TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS!
Heading into the weekend, Monica Borzillo continues to lead the AAC in both assists (2.58 per game) and points (5.83 per game) while sitting second in goals (3.25 per game) to rank fourth, ninth and 23rd, respectively, in the NCAA as well. Morgan Dukes is the other individual statistical leader for the Bearcats in the AAC as she leads the way with 3.50 ground balls per contest. As a team, UC ranks first in the AAC in both ground balls (30.42) and draw controls (14.33).
PREVIOUSLY NOTED
// BACK-TO-BACK SCORING
Two weeks ago, the Bearcats scored 17 against San Diego State and 22 against Gardner-Webb, totaling a combined 39 goals for the back-to-back contests. That total is the second-highest back-to-back scoring output in program history behind only the 41 scored earlier this year in wins over Kent State (19) and Marquette (22). Additionally, the 39 goals scored mark just the fifth time in program history the Bearcats have scored 30+ in back-to-back games and the fourth time in the last three years. The first time it happened was in 2012 before UC making it happen once each in 2017 and 2018 before the two occurrences this season.
// GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!
With their 22 goals scored against the Runnin' Bulldogs, the Bearcats have now scored 20 or more goals in a game twice this year after also scoring 22 against Marquette earlier. While both goal totals tied the program record for goals in a game, Sunday's output marked the seventh time in UC history the team has tallied 20 or more in a contest. Additionally, UC has only scored 20 or more in two games in the same season twice: this year and in 2017 when it tallied a pair of 21-goal games.
// QUICK SCORES
In the Michigan game, Nause scored the first goal of the game just 40 seconds into the contest, a goal that ties for the 10th-fastest scored to open a game in program history and the third this year at or under 40 seconds scored by the Bearcats. Previously, Monica Borzillo scored 20 seconds into the game at #23 Virginia Tech for the third-fastest goal in UC history before Alyssa Adams scored at 39 seconds against Detroit Mercy for the seventh-fastest (tied) in program history.
// LOTS OF HELPING
In the Michigan game, Borzillo dished out six assists, tying her career high and program single-game record that she had set twice before with both games coming in her freshman season of 2017. Along with those records, her six assists now also rank as the single-game record in the American Athletic Conference, her second such record after setting the single-game points record earlier this year against Kent State with 11.
// HISTORIC GAME
Previously, the Bearcats scored a 22-18 victory over visiting Marquette, leading to several historical statistics in the process including the most points recorded in a single game with 34 (was 32), tying for the most goals scored in a game with 22 and seeing the most combined goals scored in a game with 40 (was 36). On top of that, the team recorded 12 assists to posted the third-highest single game total (record is 13) as well. Individually, several players recorded career highs in various categories with a trio of sophomores (Adams, Carney and Gysin) collecting several all-time Top 10 marks as well.
// ADAMS ADDS UP
Against the Golden Eagles, Adams scored five goals on seven shots while also collecting seven ground balls to set a trio of career-bests. Her five goals and five points surpass her previous bests of three goals and three points which she tallied twice in her career, most recently last year (April 23) against ECU. One of her goals was a free-position goal, which tied her career-best for the sixth time. In the game, Adams opened the scoring for the Bearcats as she found the back of the cage at 27:38 to stake UC to a 1-0 lead. She scored three times in the second half, including her fifth of the day with 3:51 remaining in the game to push UC to a five-goal advantage.
// GYSIN GOT GOALS
Similar to Adams, Gysin's day rewrote many of her single-game bests, including points (eight), goals (six), assists (two), shots (six) and caused turnovers (two). Her eight points rank tied for sixth in the program's single-game Top 10 while her six goals tied for the fifth-most in a contest. Gysin's first goal pushed UC to a 2-0 lead with her second snapping a 3-3 tie early on and started a run of seven in a row for the Bearcats with Gysin collecting the seventh in that streak to bring UC to a 10-3 lead. In the second half, she added her fifth at the 22:37 mark to put the Bearcats ahead by eight one again before saving her final goal for the 1:28 mark to push the Bearcats ahead by four late in the game.
// CLASSY
Adams and Gysin combined with fellow sophomore Kate Carney to have a huge day for the Bearcats against Marquette. The three scored 13 of the team's record 22 goals, recorded have of the assists (6-of-12) and tallied 19 of the team's record 34 points. Additionally, they added four ground balls, seven draw controls and two caused turnovers. Along with Gysin's all-time Top 10 single game marks in goals and points, Carney added her name to the assist ledger once again as she helped on four goals, tying for the eighth-most in a game in UC history.
// GAME RECORDS
On a single game level, Borzillo posted four and Sam Mlkvy two marks that landed on the all-time Top 10 as well in the opening weekend. Borzillo's 11 points are the most in a single game, surpassing the 10 she recorded twice previously. Her seven goals tied for second and is one off her own record while her four assists tied her for eighth with all of those coming in the game against KSU. She also added five caused turnovers against the Golden Flashes, tying for the fifth spot all time. Mlkvy's 11 draw controls against Ohio State ranks second all-time in a single game while her 10 shots against KSU tied for the 10th.
// PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS
Ahead of the inaugural season, the AAC announced the results of the coaches' poll with the Bearcats selected to finish fifth. According to the coaches, the predicted finish is Florida (25 points), Vanderbilt (18), UConn (17), Temple (16), UC (9) and ECU (5). In the IWLCA Division I Preseason Poll (January 28), Florida enters the season ranked #6 nationally, the only member of the AAC in the Top 25.
// FEELING HONORED
Ahead of the season, the league coaches also voted for individual honors with three Bearcats being selected to the 2019 Preseason AAC All-Conference Team. That trio includes Monica Borzillo, who was unanimously selected to the list, Amanda Donovan and Sam Mlkvy. The honors are the first preseason awards in each players career with Borzillo (twice) and Donovan (once) previously being selected as BIG EAST All-Conference Second Team with Borzillo's honors coming in 2017 and 2018 and Donovan being selected in 2017.
// FIRST TIME AWARDS
Not only were the selections for those three players the first preseason awards of their careers, they also marked the first preseason awards earned by any Bearcats player in program history. Previously, no UC player had been named to a preseason list in the BIG EAST with Borzillo and Donovan standing as two of just five players to earn postseason accolades.
// CROWNING A CHAMP IN THE QUEEN CITY
The 2019 American Athletic Conference Lacrosse Tournament will be coming to Cincinnati in May with three games being played at the Sheakley Athletics Center on the UC campus. The Top 4 teams in the final regular season standings will play for the postseason crown and a spot in the NCAA Tournament with the AAC semifinals taking place Thursday, May 2, and the final Saturday, May 4. Game times and ticket pricing will be made available closer to the start of the tournament.
// PLAYING HOST
While the Bearcats will playing host to their first lacrosse conference tournament in 2019, the University of Cincinnati is no stranger to welcoming the American to town for a conference event as this year's event will mark the third-consecutive academic year UC has held an AAC championship event. It began in the 2016-17 academic year with the 2016 AAC Cross Country Championships being contested at Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester. One academic year later, Gettler Stadium served as the site of the 2018 AAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
// MAKING THE GRADE
Following the fall semester, the grades were tabulated and the Bearcats recorded a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.466 as 23 of the players posted at least a 3.0 GPA. To top that off, 15 players held GPAs of 3.4 or better in the semester to be named to the Dean's List while five of those players - Alyssa Adams, Monica Borzillo, Kate Brocato, Maria Collacchi and Alexandra Fess - each were named TopCats as they all posted perfect 4.0 GPAs.
// NEXT TIME
After playing three games in seven days, the Bearcats will get a bit of break in the action as they will not play again until next Saturday when Temple comes to town. The Bearcats and Owls will meet at noon Saturday, April 13, inside Gettler Stadium for the Bearcats' annual Wear White Game. All fans are encouraged to wear white in support of the Bearcats.