TicketsCINCINNATI — Powered by sophomore Alyse Keels' perfect six-goal performance, the Cincinnati lacrosse team opened its 2026 season with a 17-9 victory over Xavier on Friday night inside the Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility.
Keels saved her best for last, going behind the back to beat the goalkeeper to the bottom left corner for her sixth goal — a SportsCenter Top 10-worthy finish that pushed the Bearcats' lead to 16-7 with just under nine minutes remaining.
Cincinnati jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the first half and never looked back, building a cushion that was never seriously threatened in the eight-goal victory.
Sophomore Morgan Handzel, a Xavier transfer, agonized her former team on the draw, finishing with 14 draw controls — the second-most in UC history. Senior Lexie Wolfe provided an impressive all-around performance, tying her career high in goals (four) and assists (two), while also adding two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Senior Paige Counts added two goals and three ground balls.
The Bearcats dominated the stat sheet, holding edges in shot attempts (40-31), shots on goal (29-20) and draw controls (21-7), while forcing 11 turnovers to Xavier's eight.
Counts got the party started just 45 seconds in. Xavier's Maya Graham answered to cut the deficit to 3-1, but Cincinnati responded with three goals in a two-minute span to push the lead to 6-1 at the end of the first quarter.
The rout continued in the second quarter. Three straight goals — capped by Keels' third of the night for a first-half hat trick — stretched the lead to 9-1. A Wolfe goal off a Paige Selhorn assist gave UC a 10-2 halftime advantage.
Xavier opened the third quarter with back-to-back goals to trim the deficit to 10-4, but Cincinnati captain Devon Cherry answered to make it 11-4. Graham's second goal cut it to 11-5 heading into the fourth.
Claire Slade scored early in the final period for Xavier before Keels took over. Her back-to-back goals pushed the lead to 13-6, then she completed her scoring barrage with the highlight-reel behind-the-back finish as part of a three-goal Cincinnati run that made it 16-7. The Bearcats cruised from there to seal the win.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Lacrosse, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsLAX on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.