University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Opens Big East Play On Saturday At Cincinnati
3/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
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The Match-Up
The UConn women's lacrosse team (5-4) opens Big East play on Sunday (12 p.m.) against Cincinnati (2-7) at the Sheakley Athletics Center. This weekend's contest will be the seventh meeting between the two programs and the first match for UConn in 11 days.
The Huskies, who are 2-4 in road games this season, boast a perfect mark of 6-0 against the Bearcats. Cincinnati has dropped three of its five home games on the year, and the Bearcats finished league play winless (0-7) last season. UConn sported a record of 5-2 in conference action in 2014.
What Coach Woods Is Saying
"Our conference season always has a little more weight," UConn women's lacrosse coach Katie Woods said. "You want to finish strong, and we're excited to get back on the field and play."
Last Time Out
Connecticut picked up its second road victory of the year on March 18 against in-state foe Fairfield, defeating the Stags, 6-4. UConn junior goalkeeper Shannon Nee (Lancaster, Pa.) turned in her best performance of the season, as she matched a career-high 15 saves to go along with two ground balls.
Junior attacker Katherine Finkelston (Leonardtown, Md.) recorded her fifth hat trick of the season, while midfielders Kelsey Catalano (Stony Brook, N.Y.) and Emily Anderson (Killingworth, Conn.) and freshman Grace Nolan (Marcellus, N.Y.) each added a goal. Fairfield's four goals were the lowest for a Connecticut opponent this season, and the match marked the fifth time the Huskies have allowed less than 10 goals in a game. UConn is 4-1 this season when allowing single-digit goals.
Scouting The Bearcats
Cincinnati, losers of two straight, will host Winthrop on Friday before facing UConn on Sunday. The Bearcats enter this weekend ranked fourth in Division I in ground balls per game (20.78) and eighth in yellow cards (19). Their 9.56 caused turnovers per match are good for the 21st-best mark nationally, and junior goalkeeper Meg Gulmi ranks second among Division I players with 3.56 ground balls a contest.
Bearcats junior midfielder Courtney Curtis has tallied a team-high 26 points (25 points, 1 assist) for Cincinnati, which sports a -4.78 scoring margin on the year. Midfielder Sarah Del Bene leads all Bearcats with five assists, and she is one of five Cincinnati players with at least nine goals in 2015. In the cage, Gulmi boasts a .390 save percentage, and she's allowed 14.53 goals per match this season.
Next Up
After Sunday, the Huskies will resume conference play the following weekend (Apr. 4) at home against Marquette at the George J. Sherman-Family Sports Complex. UConn, which has won each of its three home matches this season, defeated the Golden Eagles, 11-10, last year in Storrs.
