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Lacrosse hosts Cincinnati Wednesday

Lacrosse hosts Cincinnati WednesdayLacrosse hosts Cincinnati Wednesday

April 3, 2018

The Game: Vanderbilt Lacrosse vs. Cincinnati
The Time: Wednesday, April 4 at 2 p.m.
The Place: VU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex – Nashville, Tenn.
The Broadcast: Facebook Live broadcast at Facebook.com/VanderbiltAthletics
The Giveaway: First 200 fans receive a pair of Vanderbilt Crew Socks

Vanderbilt lacrosse can match last season’s BIG EAST win total on Wednesday as the Commodores welcome Cincinnati to the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex at 2 p.m.

The Commodores (7-4, 2-1 BIG EAST) are fresh off a 15-11 conference victory over Villanova on Saturday, while the Bearcats (6-4, 0-3 BIG EAST) are still seeking their first league win.

Midfielder Gwyn Devin led the Dores with a career-high four goals and two assists in the win over Villanova, while three more Commodores notched hat tricks. VU never trailed in the tight game, pulling away late to win by a four-goal margin.

“I think that we are getting different kinds of defenses that we’re going against, and the willingness to change things up and get creative has allowed us to do well,” Vanderbilt head coach Cathy Swezey said about her team’s offense. “Obviously, we’re led by Kayla Peterson and Emily Mathewson, but then you have different players stepping up at different times like Gwyn did the other day for us. I thought we looked particularly fast and moved the ball well, especially early on in the game, and I think that set a good tone for us.”

Mathewson scored 11 points in Vanderbilt’s two games last week and was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll Tuesday, while Peterson added a pair of hat tricks for six goals in the two contests. Peterson, a senior attacker, is Vanderbilt’s first 40-goal scorer since 2013, and is just seven goals away from her 100th collegiate goal.

The defense remains strong in front of goalkeeper Grace Bell. Junior defender Alex Rasmussen has collected 15 ground balls in the past three games, while senior defenders Frankie Angeleri, Mary Claire Dachille and Margaret Fee have set the stage by turning turnovers into offense in the Dores’ transition game, led by Fee and freshman midfielder Melissa Hawkins.

“Our defense has always been amazing,” Swezey said. “This group of seniors has been the backbone for us for several years, and they’re just exceptional players. I think we have a really good unit that’s extremely athletic. When they’re focused and intense, they’re hard to beat.”

Cincinnati enters the contest on a three-game losing streak to begin conference play. The Bearcats won their final six non-conference matchups before their current three-game skid.

“They’re very hungry,” Swezey said. “This is a talented Bearcats team. They have really come on strong the last couple years under the coaching and leadership of Gina Oliver. They’re going to be strong, they’re going to be very aggressive, they’re going to be fast and they’re going to come after us.”

VU and UC are the top two teams in Division I in ground balls per game. The Bearcats lead college lacrosse with 27.00 ground balls per game, and the Commodores are second in both the nation and the conference with 24.82 ground balls per game.

Opening draw between Vanderbilt and Cincinnati is at 2 p.m. Wednesday on campus. Admission is free, with the first 200 fans receiving a pair of Vanderbilt crew socks. The game will be streamed live at Facebook.com/VanderbiltAthletics.

Series History
Vanderbilt leads the all-time series, 5-1. The Bearcats’ only win was a 10-9 home victory in 2017. Kayla Peterson and Melanie Becker each scored twice for Vanderbilt in the last year’s one-goal loss. This will be Cincinnati’s fourth visit to Nashville, with the Commodores capturing all three previous home match-ups in 2008, 2011 and 2016.

Man, Bearcats are Real, People
Cincinnati is one of three remaining winless teams in BIG EAST play, along with Villanova and Butler. After a season-opening loss to Louisville, the Bearcats won their final six non-conference games before opening league play with three straight losses to Marquette, Temple and Georgetown. Monica Borzillo leads the Bearcats with 49 points, and is second in the BIG EAST with 4.90 points per game. McKenna Rushford leads the team with 30 goals. Giuliana Durso has started all ten games in goal.

Perfect Attendance
Vanderbilt has been represented on all eight editions of the BIG EAST Weekly Awards this season. Detailed recaps of each honorees’ accomplishments can be found in the notes below.

Vanderbilt’s 2018 BIG EAST Weekly Award Winners:

Shooters Shoot
Vanderbilt’s offense is seventh nationally with 35.09 shots per game and sixth nationally with 26.18 shots on goal per game. The Dores are within two shots per game of the national leader in both categories. Maryland leads the nation with 36.73 shots per game and UMass leads Division I with 27.50 shots on goal per game.

Beasts of the BIG EAST
Vanderbilt leads the BIG EAST Conference in five major team categories (NCAA rankings in parentheses):

  • Shots per Game: 35.09 (seventh nationally)
  • Shots on Goal per Game: 26.18 (sixth nationally)
  • Scoring Margin: +3.91 Goals per Game (21st nationally)
  • Caused Turnovers per Game: 11.55(seventh nationally)
  • Fewest Turnovers per Game: 14.36 (19th nationally)


Mathewson Back on BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Sophomore attacker Emily Mathewson made the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second time this season for Week 8 on Tuesday. Mathewson scored 11 points in Vanderbilt’s two-game week, posting two goals and a career-high four assists in a 17-12 loss to Oregon on March 28 before scoring four goals and an assist in the Dores’ 15-11 win over Villanova on March 31. Mathewson also earned eight draw controls, four ground balls and two caused turnovers on the week, and leads the Commodores in both assists and points while setting new career-highs in goals, assists and points.

Individual Milestones
Vanderbilt senior attacker Kayla Peterson scored her 100th career point in the win over Butler on March 25. The senior from Hagerstown, Md. has scored 93 goals along with 17 assists in her career for a total of 110 points, and is seven goals away from joining the 100-goal club. Peterson is now eighth in program history with 89 draw controls, and is 16 draws away from tying former teammate Kelly Chandler for seventh place. Sophomore attacker Emily Mathewson scored her 50th career goal vs. Oregon on March 28, and junior midfielder Melanie Becker scored her 50th career point at Butler on March 25.