TicketsGREENVILLE, N.C. – It was a tale of two halves on Friday afternoon at Johnson Stadium as the University of Cincinnati lacrosse team held a 6-2 halftime lead, was outscored 10-5 in the second half and nearly complete an epic last-minute comeback in a 12-11 loss against East Carolina.
Down 12-11 with under 10 seconds left, the Bearcats (6-9, 2-7 AAC) won a draw control but turned it over moving towards the offensive zone and UC couldn't get the tying score after netting two goals in the final 32 seconds.
The Bearcats led 6-2 at the half after first-half tallies from Sam Mlkvy (2), Kylie Nause (2), Alyssa Adams and Taylor Gysin.
The Pirates (4-11, 2-7 AAC) turned the game on its head during a five-minute flurry in the second half. After a Kate Carney goal with 21:06 remaining, UC led 7-3 and ECU followed with four-straight goals to knot things up at 7-7 with 16:07 to go.
The teams traded goals over the next three minutes and UC was back on top, 9-8, with 13:39 left. From there, ECU scored four straight and led 12-9 with 5:28 to go.
Mottice picked up a goal with 32 seconds left and Monica Borzillo tallied a free-position shot with eight ticks on the clock to set up the Bearcats last-chance effort.
Borzillo, Mlkvy and nausea all finished with two scores apiece while Adams, Carney, Gysin, Mottice and Gianna Napoletano all scored goals of their own. Adams and Mottice combined for 13 draw controls, Dani Mlkvy caused three turnovers and Adams had a team-best three ground balls.
UC finished with a 26-24 edge in shots and a 16-9 lead in draw controls. The Pirates held the edge in ground balls 19-14 and turned the ball over 15 times compared to 18 for Cincinnati.
UP NEXT
The Bearcats and Pirates close out the regular season at noon ET on Sunday from Johnson Stadium. UC needs a win to lock up the No. 4 seed in the upcoming AAC Championship in Gainesville, Florida. The game will air on ESPN+ with live stats on BearcatStats.com.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Lacrosse, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Lacrosse (@GoBearcatsLAX) and Head Coach Gina Oliver (@GinaOliverUC) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.
Down 12-11 with under 10 seconds left, the Bearcats (6-9, 2-7 AAC) won a draw control but turned it over moving towards the offensive zone and UC couldn't get the tying score after netting two goals in the final 32 seconds.
The Bearcats led 6-2 at the half after first-half tallies from Sam Mlkvy (2), Kylie Nause (2), Alyssa Adams and Taylor Gysin.
The Pirates (4-11, 2-7 AAC) turned the game on its head during a five-minute flurry in the second half. After a Kate Carney goal with 21:06 remaining, UC led 7-3 and ECU followed with four-straight goals to knot things up at 7-7 with 16:07 to go.
The teams traded goals over the next three minutes and UC was back on top, 9-8, with 13:39 left. From there, ECU scored four straight and led 12-9 with 5:28 to go.
Mottice picked up a goal with 32 seconds left and Monica Borzillo tallied a free-position shot with eight ticks on the clock to set up the Bearcats last-chance effort.
Borzillo, Mlkvy and nausea all finished with two scores apiece while Adams, Carney, Gysin, Mottice and Gianna Napoletano all scored goals of their own. Adams and Mottice combined for 13 draw controls, Dani Mlkvy caused three turnovers and Adams had a team-best three ground balls.
UC finished with a 26-24 edge in shots and a 16-9 lead in draw controls. The Pirates held the edge in ground balls 19-14 and turned the ball over 15 times compared to 18 for Cincinnati.
UP NEXT
The Bearcats and Pirates close out the regular season at noon ET on Sunday from Johnson Stadium. UC needs a win to lock up the No. 4 seed in the upcoming AAC Championship in Gainesville, Florida. The game will air on ESPN+ with live stats on BearcatStats.com.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Lacrosse, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Lacrosse (@GoBearcatsLAX) and Head Coach Gina Oliver (@GinaOliverUC) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.