Williamsburg, KY – The fifth-ranked UC women's lacrosse team won a program-best 32 draw controls, while a trio of Patriots tallied career-high's as Cumberlands defeated Montreat 30-4 Wednesday afternoon at the UC Lacrosse Complex.  With the win, UC improves to 9-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play.

Koral Hadac led the way with a career-high 12 draw controls and a ground ball, while Emma Rittman added 10 draw controls, four points, and three ground balls in the game.  Anna Lobbezoo netted a career-high six goals, while Morgan Tate finished with a career-high five goals and seven points in the win.  Bella Ricchiazzi notched five goals and five assists for her second double-digit point total of the season, while Reegan Hensley closed out the game with seven points and three caused turnovers.  Olivia McCarrell and Mia Bosah split time between the pipes and made six saves.

The Patriots came out firing as Ricchiazzi found Tate twice for goals in the opening minute of play.  Lobbezzo and Marisa Helsten scored a pair of goals each to extend the lead to 6-0 with 10:52 remaining.  The two teams traded goals twice before Lobbezoo and Ricchiazzi score consecutive goals just six seconds apart to make it 10-2.  Moments later, Ricchiazzi forced a turnover as Tate scooped the ground ball and fired it into the back of the cage to complete the hattrick as Ricchiazzi added a goal late giving UC a 12-2 lead after the first quarter.

Both defenses picked up the pressure through the middle of the second quarter as neither team was able to score.  McCarrell made two of her five first half saves to keep the Cavaliers off the board.  Cumberlands added four unanswered goals as Reese Kincaid dished out assists to Rittman and Helsten, while Mia Rask added a goal and an assist to give the Patriots a 16-2 lead.  Montreat added a goal late to cut the lead to 16-3 at the break.

The Patriots defense continued to apply their tough pressure limiting Montreat to just two shots in the second half and outscoring the Cavaliers 14-1 over the final 30 minutes.  Hensley dished out an assist and scored a goal in the first four minutes of the third period to give UC a 19-3 edge.  Rittman and Helsten each closed out the quarter with a pair of goals, while Cumberlands took a 24-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

Ricchiazzi netted three of UC's first four goals in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 28-4.  After Lobbezoo and Rittman won the final two draw controls of the game, the Patriots turned them into goals for Lobbezoo and Hensley for the 30-4 final.

The 32 draw controls surpasses the program of 30, which the Patriots have accomplished twice including earlier this season against Brenau.  The 30 goals and 47 points are tied for the second most in program history.

Cumberlands will return to the field Saturday, March 25, when they travel to Laurinburg, NC to face St. Andrews.  The game is set for a 12 p.m. start with live stats available here.

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 and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, TikTok- @ucpatriots, Youtube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.