Williamsburg, KY – Bella Ricchiazzi tallied nine points, while
Olivia McCarrell made a career-high 13 saves as the Patriots defeated (RV) Ave Maria 20-7 Friday night at the UC Lacrosse Complex. The Patriots improved to 3-0 on the season after outscoring the Gryenes 10-1 in the second half.
Ricchiazzi led the way for UC with five goals, four assists, and four draw controls.
Florence Andrieu tied her career-high with four goals to go along with two assists, while
Rachel Leigh tallied her second hat trick of the season.
Defensively, McCarrell made 13 saves in the game, including six in the second half to limit Ave Maria to one goal.
Stephanie Meyer forced four caused turnovers and scooped five ground balls, while
Kelly Webb finished with three caused turnovers and three ground balls.
Ave Maria struck first, however, the Patriots answered quickly as Leigh scooped the draw control, raced up field, and netted the equalizer to make it 1-1. After an Andrieu free position goal,
Emily Heim connected with
Jaclyn Berry for a goal to make it 3-1. The Gryenes looked to cut into the deficit, however, a pair of saves by McCarrell kept the score at 3-1. UC took advantage of a pair of yellow cards as Berry and Ricchiazzi each added a man-up goal to extend the lead to 5-1 with 18:00 remaining in the first half. The two teams traded goals three times, before Ricchiazzi connected with
Carolina Johnson for the one-timer shot to extend UC's lead to 9-4. Ave Maria added back-to-back goals, before Ricchiazzi split the defense and fired a shot into the back of the cage to give the Patriots a 10-6 lead at the break.
The second half was all Patriots as
Trinity Brown put a well-placed shot past the goalie for a transition goal 1:09 into the second half. McCarrell added two more stops, while Ricchiazzi, Heim, and Andrieu all added a goal to extend the lead to 14-6 with 23:14 remaining. The scored remained that way until the 18:34 mark when Andrieu converted a free position to for the man-up goal extended the lead to 15-6. Cumberlands added five more goals, the last coming from
Stephanie Meyer off an assist from Andrieu, making it 20-6 with 3:41 left. Ave Maria added a goal in the closing seconds for the 20-7 final.
The Patriots have now won 21 straight home contest dating back to the 2018 season.
Cumberlands will return to the field Tuesday, March 9, when they travel to Gainesville, GA to face Brenau. The game is set for 2 p.m.
For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter - @UC_Patriots, Instagram - @UCPatriots, YouTube – Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.
