| NIAGARA UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S LACROSSE |
| WEEK THREE |
Niagara Purple Eagles (3-0, 0-0 MAAC) at Ohio State Buckeyes (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten) |
| GAME 4 |
Sunday, March 3 | 12:00 PM |
| LOCATION |
Woody Hayes Athletic Center – Columbus, OH |
| LIVE VIDEO |
BTN Plus |
| LIVE STATS |
StatBroadcast |
After a tremendous 3-0 start, the Niagara University women's lacrosse team finds itself near the top of multiple individual and team categories among all Division I schools. They will put those marks to the test when they take on Ohio State in a Sunday afternoon tilt on March 3. The Purple Eagles will square off with the Buckeyes for just the second time ever, and the first since March 1, 2015.
Niagara Notes
- Niagara has started the season 3-0 for the second consecutive year. Prior to that, Niagara's most recent 3-0 record had come in 2005. A win against the Buckeyes would give the team its first 4-0 start in the program's 24-year history.
- The Purple Eagles are one of 15 teams in the country without a loss, with Monmouth (3-0) being the only other MAAC school to be able to make that claim.
- Rachel MacCheyne continues to put up numbers that have her near the top of two impressive categories nationally. As of February 28, she was third in the country in draw controls per game (9.33) and tied for eighth in goals per game (4.33).
- Niagara's 5.67 goals allowed per game have the Purple Eagles' scoring defense ranked in the top three among all Division I teams.
- Niagara ranks fourth in the country with a draw control percentage of .688 (44-64).
- All three Purple Eagles' goalkeepers have combined to put together a .630 save percentage, the second-best mark in the nation. Leading the way is rookie phenom, Maren Geiger, who became the first freshman to start her career 3-0 since Whitney Gill did so in 2005. Geiger's impressive 6.23 goals-against average and .600 save percentage rate third and fourth, respectively, among all goalkeepers in Division I.
Milestone Watch
- THREE: MacCheyne is three points away from moving into second place in program history and topping Sandra Gallegos' 178 points.
- FIVE: By pocketing five more assists, Caroline Crump would leapfrog from seventh all-time (51) to fourth by surpassing Ashley Baker (55), Ashley Grosso (55) and Carrie-Jo Farrugia (56).
- FIVE: Alexis Morales needs just five goals to become the program's sixth 100-goal scorer.
- FIVE: Aubrey DeVeau needs five saves to tie Olivia Schneider (97) and enter Niagara's top 10.
- SIX: Six more caused turnovers will bump Lauren Paul up from eighth place all-time (50) into sole possession of fourth, eclipsing Miko Daluisio (51), Katie Callahan (54), Danielle Maio (55), and Jillian Ford (55) in the process.
Scouting The Buckeyes
- Ohio State has won three of its first four home games, most recently coming from behind to take down Marquette, 11-9, on March 1. The Buckeyes are 2-1 on the year inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, with the lone loss at the hands of 19th-ranked Notre Dame.
- Liza Hernandez has been the offensive stud early on for Ohio State. The junior midfielder leads the team in goals (18) and assists (10) and is tied for the Big Ten lead in points per game (5.6).
- Jill Rizzo has taken the bulk of minutes in the crease for the Buckeyes, playing all but 22 minutes so far this season. She holds a .515 save percentage, having stopped 53 of 103 shots faced this season.
- Riley Ewing has been the team's best option on draws, earning 22 wins, with seven of those wins coming on Friday against the Golden Eagles.
