TicketsCINCINNATI — Behind a six-goal performance from junior Paige Counts and a milestone 100th career victory for head coach Gina Thomas, the Cincinnati Bearcats rolled past San Diego State 18-8 Friday afternoon at Nippert Stadium in their season finale.
The Bearcats also honored seven seniors prior to the contest: Gillian Smith, Emma Mielke, Kennedy Koehler, Mia Federovich, Lexie Wolfe, Sophia Passa and Thea Work, turning the afternoon into a full celebration for the program.
Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. After a competitive first quarter that saw the Bearcats hold a 3-1 edge, UC erupted in the second period, rattling off seven straight goals to build a 10-6 halftime advantage. The Aztecs showed some fight down the stretch, but Cincinnati's relentless offense proved too much to overcome, as the Bearcats outscored San Diego State 8-2 over the final two quarters to deliver a dominant Senior Day victory for Thomas in her landmark 100th win.
Counts was virtually unstoppable on the afternoon, finishing with six goals on eight shots to lead all scorers. Sophomore Haley Mario was equally impressive, controlling the game from the midfield with two goals and a team-high three assists. Alyse Keels added three goals and an assist, while seniors Wolfe and Passa each rose to the occasion on their final home day, contributing two goals apiece. Amanda Sweeney capped the scoring with a late fourth-quarter goal to round out a balanced Cincinnati attack that saw seven different Bearcats find the back of the net.
In goal, senior Emma Mielke was sharp in her final home appearance, earning the win with eight saves in just under 39 minutes of work. San Diego State was paced by Tatum Neach, who had two goals and four assists.
Cincinnati controlled the statistical categories across the board, holding a 32-21 shot advantage and forcing 18 San Diego State turnovers compared to just 10 of its own. The Bearcats also won the saves battle 10-9 on the afternoon. San Diego State held a 15-11 edge in draw controls, providing the Aztecs their lone area of dominance on the day.
The Bearcats wasted little time setting the tone, with Keels and Counts each netting unassisted goals in the opening quarter to jump out to a 2-0 lead. San Diego State's Mia Maechtel cut it to 2-1 with a man-up free-position finish off an assist from Keir Doyle-Odenbach, but Cincinnati answered immediately with a man-down goal from Mario — a sign of things to come — to take a 3-1 advantage into the second quarter.
The second quarter belonged to the Bearcats. Wolfe, celebrating her Senior Day in style, opened the period with back-to-back free-position goals to stretch the lead to 5-1. Simpson and Counts pushed the cushion further before San Diego State rallied, with Jacobson, Maechtel and Neach each scoring to trim the deficit to 8-5. Cincinnati responded with authority, however, as Passa, Counts and Jacobson traded scores before Lilah Turley delivered the exclamation point — a man-up free-position goal at the buzzer — to send the Bearcats into the half with a 10-6 lead.
Cincinnati continued to pour it on in the third quarter, with Counts, Keels and Simpson each scoring to push the advantage to double digits. San Diego State's Doyle-Odenbach and Neach refused to go quietly, each finding the net to make it 14-8, but the Bearcats answered with back-to-back Keels free-position goals to firmly put the game out of reach heading into the fourth.
The Bearcats closed out the celebration in fitting fashion in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Aztecs 4-0 to seal the final margin. Counts netted her fifth and sixth goals of the afternoon — including a man-up finish off a feed from Payton Kozina — while Passa added her second goal of the day and Sweeney delivered the final blow with a man-down free-position conversion with just over a minute remaining, punctuating a landmark afternoon for Thomas and the Cincinnati program.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Lacrosse, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsLAX on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.