Kent State University
Cincinnati
Lacrosse Travels to Cincinnati for Inaugural Game
2/8/2019 5:25:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State women's lacrosse team will compete in its first ever game in Cincinnati on Sunday, February 10 against the Bearcats at Getter Stadium.
The first-year program is the 19th varsity sport at Kent State and the first addition of a varsity sport at the university since women's golf began competition in the 1998-99 academic year.
Head Coach Brianne Tierney leads KSU in its inaugural season. Tierney has experience starting a new program. In 2010, she helped build Division III Lebanon Valley College's lacrosse program. She was named the 2012 Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year. Her experience extends beyond the D-III level, as she has Division I experience at Denver, UC-Berkeley, Lafayette and Monmouth.
"The culmination of many years of hard work begins Sunday, and we look forward to finally stepping on the lacrosse field with Kent State across our chests," said Tierney.
The Golden Flashes' roster consists of 24 freshmen and two sophomores, highlighted by freshmen team captains Grace Merrill, Megan Kozar and Hailee Andry. Merrill, a First Team All-State selection, is a goalkeeper that played at Jackson High School in Massillon, Ohio. Kozar, an attacker, helped lead Upper Arlington High School in Ohio to two state championships. Andry is the only captain from outside Ohio, as she hails from Newport Beach, California and plays defense for the Flashes.
Freshmen Abby Jones and Alexis Parker were both mentioned on the ASUN preseason watchlist, along with Merrill and Kozar. Jones, a midfielder, and Parker, a defender turned midfielder, were both All-State selections in Minnesota, with Jones being named twice.
Scouting Cincinnati
The Bearcats are coming off an 8-9 campaign in 2018 as a member of the Big East. After playing in the Big East for the previous 10 seasons, Cincinnati will join the American Athletic Conference for the 2019 season.
Three members were selected to the inaugural AAC Preseason All-Conference Team. Junior Monica Borzillo was selected to the All-Big East Conference Second Team each of the last two seasons. Senior Amanda Donovan was a member of the All-Big East Conference Second Team in 2017, while redshirt junior Sam Mlkvy is coming off a 2018 campaign in which she broke the Cincinnati single-season record for draw controls with 70.
The matchup between the Flashes and the Bearcats consists of two of the three Division I programs in the state with Ohio State being the only other D-I program in the state.
"We are beyond excited about kicking off our inaugural season with in-state foe Cincinnati," said Tierney. "With our teams being two of the only three Division I programs in Ohio, we hope to build this into a rivalry that will benefit both of our programs and continue to grow the sport further in the state."
Up Next
Kent State will play its first ever home game next Saturday, February 16 at 1 p.m. at Dix Stadium against Robert Morris.
Follow the Flashes
Be sure to follow the Kent State lacrosse team on Twitter and Instagram for news and updates about the team throughout the season. Fans can watch the game against Cincinnati here and live stats will be available during the game.
