Lacrosse Looks to Stay Hot in Friday-Sunday Homestand

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati lacrosse program opens a weekend of matchups starting on Friday against Robert Morris (3 p.m.) followed by Marquette on Sunday at 12 p.m.

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SERIES HISTORY
Friday's matchup against Robert Morris will be the seventh matchup between the two teams, and the Colonels are coming off an 16-8 loss to Ohio State in their lone action. The Bearcats lead 4-2 all-time series, with the most recent one being a snowy 12-8 road win on March 27 last year.

Cincinnati is 3-6 against Marquette and has played the Golden Eagles in each of the past nine seasons. UC has won back-to-back home matches, including a 20-19 win in the 2021 home opener, but fell 16-13 in Milwaukee to start 2022. The 2021 matchup is second only to 2019 (a 22-18 win over Marquette) for the most combined goals in school history. The Golden Eagles held the upper hand throughout, but Cincinnati won the turnover and ground ball battle while Kylie Nause earned a first-quarter hat trick and Ava Goeller scored three times over 44 seconds late.

Marquette defeated San Diego State, 20-13, in its opener and plays at Youngstown State Friday.

WEEKLY HONORS
Goeller (Midfielder of the Week), Camryn Callaghan (Freshman of the Week) and Lauren Ottensmeyer (weekly honor roll) all earned AAC recognition following the 2-0 week.

Goeller's six goals against Gardner-Webb marked the third-such match by a Bearcat in the last year. Her 50.0 shot percentage is up from 32.8 last year, when she was Second-Team All-AAC. She and Callaghan are second in the AAC with 4.0 goals per game. Goeller, a junior from Bel Air, Md., last season was second on the team in most categories last season, including her 44 goals.

Callaghan, a two-time US Lacrosse All-American, jumped onto the scene by leading the Bearcats in goals (8), assists (5) and points (13). The Upper Arlington, Ohio, product's 13 shots on goal were also a team-high. She scored three goals amidst a 9-1, second-quarter run at Gardner-Webb in which the Bearcats turned a 5-3 deficit into a 20-9 win. UC's 34 goals over two games marked its best since last season.

Ottensmeyer scored seven goals (two hat tricks) in her debut UC week, needing only 10 shots to do so. The Ballwin, Mo., native added three assists in the Sunday win at Gardner-Webb and committed one turnover on the week. She was the fourth-leading scorer at Youngstown State (29 goals, 37 points) last season. She was on the Penguins' first two teams in program history.

POURING IT ON
Cincinnati left no doubt in each of its wins last week, beginning with a 14-7 decision over Kent State that included a 14-1 lead. The Gardner-Webb contest on Sunday saw a 5-3 deficit before an eventual 20-9 victory after an explosive second quarter.

RECORD BOOKS STARTING EARLY
Dani Mlkvy's 13 draw controls against Gardner-Webb matched Megan Bell's school record, set previously at Stetson in 2014. The senior has 120 for her career, which is tied for fourth. Her sister, Sam, was her teammate the first two years and holds the record of 280 that occurred over five seasons (2016-21).

Cincinnati has just one 2-0, and 3-0, start in its history, which came in its second-ever season (2009). The Bearcats opened with road wins at Presbyterian, Duquesne and Robert Morris.