CINCINNATI – Natalie Starvaggi (Loveland, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) scored the game-winning goal and posted her second hat trick of the season to lead the University of Cincinnati lacrosse team to an 11-10 victory over visiting Villanova on Sunday afternoon at Nippert Stadium. Cincinnati improved to 4-1 overall while Villanova dropped to 1-3 with the loss.

The Bearcats went up two goals early when MacKenzie Parsons (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) and Laura Simanski (Reisterstown, Md./Roland Park) each scored unassisted goals. The Wildcats rallied with four unanswered goals over a five minute period to take a 4-2 advantage with 22:33 on the clock.

Cincinnati responded with three goals, one from Lynsey Burton (Smithtown, N.Y./Ohio), Lindsey Marshall (Hilliard, Ohio/Ohio), and Simanski, who was assisted by Jess Kazaks (Patchogue, N.Y./Ohio), and UC took a 5-4 lead with 10:33 left in the period. Villanova's Erica Rybinski scored two of her game-high four goals to end the period, giving the Wildcats a 6-5 halftime advantage.

Starvaggi started the second half scoring with two goals to put UC up again, 7-6. Simanski recorded her fourth hat trick of the season with UC's eighth goal of the game, and Parsons took a feed from Lauren Houck (Bel Air, Md./CM Wright) with 17:32 remaining to give the Bearcats a 9-6 advantage. The Wildcats bounced back with three more goals, two coming from Rybinski, tying the game 9-9 with 8:27 left in the period.

Marshall put the Bearcats up one with an unassisted goal before Villanova countered with a free position goal, tying the game, 10-10, with 6:17 remaining. On the next play Starvaggi controlled the draw, ran to the goal, and scored the game-winner in 10 seconds. The Bearcats held on for the 11-10 victory over the next six minutes.

Katherine Russo (Westminster, Md./Winters Mills) earned with win in goal and had 12 saves. The Bearcats will play next at Ohio State on Wednesday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m.

2009-03-08