Williamsburg, KY – Facing their third ranked opponent of the season, the second-ranked UC women's lacrosse team was dominant defeating tenth-ranked Missouri Baptist 13-2 Saturday afternoon at the UC Lacrosse Complex.  The Patriots netted the first 12 goals of the contest and improved to 5-1 on the season. 

Bella Ricchiazza led the way for the Patriots with four goals and a pair of assists, while Reegan Hensley notched two goals and two assists in the win.  Stephanie Meyer and Rachel Leigh tallied three points each, while Carolina Johnson earned four straight multigoal performance.

Defensively, Cumberlands was led by Olivia McCarrell, who made seven saves and scooped three ground balls.  Trinity Brown tallied five caused turnover, five ground balls, and five draw controls in the win, as Christina Min notched three draw controls and four ground balls.  Jael Cobb also scooped four ground balls in the game. 

Five different Patriots record goals as UC netted seven unanswered goals to open the game and won the first five draw controls of the match.  Two minutes into the game Katie Wharton found Stephanie Meyer cutting in front of the cage to give UC the early 1-0 lead.  UC added back-to-back goals from Rachel Leigh and Ricchiazzi to make it 3-0 with 9:32 left.  A minute later, Brown forced a Spartans turnover as Min scooped the ground ball leading to Hensley connecting with Wharton for a goal to give UC a 4-0 edge midway through the opening quarter.  Cumberlands defense continued to hound Missouri Baptist forcing multiple turnovers as Ricchiazzi netted two of UC's final three goals to take a 7-0 advantage.

The Patriots defense continued their stellar performance in the second quarter limiting the Spartans to just one shot on frame, which was saved by McCarrell.  UC's offense found the cage three times over the final five minutes of the period to extend their lead to 10-0. Ricchiazzi dished out assists to Leigh and Johnson, while Hensely converted a free position attempt as the Patriots took the lead into the break.

Missouri Baptist looked to cut into the lead in the opening minutes of the third quarter, however, McCarrell stopped a Brianna Fischer free position to keep them off the board.  A minute later Hensley found Ricchiazzi, who put a well-placed shot past the keeper extending the lead to 11-0.  McCarrell added two more saves in the period as Hensley netted her second goal of the day giving the Patriots a 12-0 edge heading into the fourth quarter.

It was a back-and-forth battle to open the final period as both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm.  McCarrell added three more saves to keep Missouri Baptist off the board for the first ten minutes of the fourth quarter.  The Spartans added two of the final three goals in the game for the 13-2 final.

Cumberlands returns to the field Wednesday, March 9, when they host Truett McConnell.  The Patriots will look to improve to 3-0 against AAC schools this season as first draw is set for 5 p.m.

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