Cincinnati’s offense took a page out of Stony Brook’s book, giving them a taste of a blow-out loss.
The Seawolves (3-2) traveled to Ohio on Thursday to play the Cincinnati Bearcats at Gettler Stadium. The team played its worst game of the year so far, from the minimal offense efforts to the weak defense that led to a 5-1 loss.
Almost two minutes into the game, Cincinnati drew first blood when forward Ellie Flower scored off of an assist from forward Mackenzie Tucker. Later in the first half, Cincinnati forward Sarah Kate Rath extended the Bearcats’ lead to 2-0 with her first career goal. In the final 18 minutes, forwards Paige Miller and Megan Smith scored a trio of goals to put the game out of reach. Smith scored twice, which were also the first two goals of her career. In the end, the Seawolves simply could not compete with the Bearcats.
On a brighter note, forward Reilly Rich managed to score her third goal of the season during the second half. Rich shot the ball from the top of the right post, curving into the net for the score.
Goalkeeper Nicolette Pasquarella played the entire match for the Seawolves and recorded a career-high six saves. Cincinnati goalkeeper Anna Rexford also played in the net for the entire game but only had to make one save, as the Bearcats’ defense dominated Stony Brook.
Stony Brook attempted a total of just five shots with two being on goal, while Cincinnati maintained its offensive intensity with 22 shots and 11 on goal. This was the lowest shot total by far for the Seawolves this season; their previous low was in their season opener against Fordham when they only had nine shots and three on goal.
The five goals that the defense allowed was the most in a single game by Stony Brook since its season opener last year at Hofstra, where they lost by the same score.
The Seawolves will return home to Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 4 to play against the Providence Friars. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. The Friars are currently 1-3 on the season after a 4-0 loss to Vanderbilt on Aug. 28. Stony Brook will look to stay unbeaten at home and put this last trouncing behind them.
