via UF press release  

Florida Faces Marquette in First Semifinal Game; Georgetown-Denver to Faceoff in Second Matchup

Game Notes (PDF) NOTE: Media seeking credentials for the BIG EAST lacrosse tournament should contact Mary Howard – maryh@gators.ufl.edu ) GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The BIG EAST Tournament heads to Gainesville this week and after winning the regular season outright, the No. 6 Gators look to clinch their fourth-straight BIG EAST Tournament championship. Florida faces Marquette at 4 p.m. in the first of two semifinal games on Thursday. UF defeated Marquette on April 14, topping the Golden Eagles 18-6 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. BIG EAST Tournament Semifinal 1: Florida vs. Marquette Florida has won eight conference championships in the last nine seasons since the program started in 2010 and the Gators have won at least a share of every BIG EAST regular season title and have won three consecutive titles outright after sharing with Georgetown in 2015. UF has five conference tournament championships under its belt: 2012 & 2014 in ALC; 2015, 2016 & 2017 in the BIG EAST. The Gators clinched their fourth-straight BIG EAST regular season conference championship with a 23-3 defeat of Butler last Saturday. With that victory, UF now has six undefeated conference seasons in the nine years as a program: 2011, 2012, 2014 (all in the ALC) and 2016, 2017, 2018 in the BIG EAST. Florida tied its program record for most conference wins in a season with nine (2017). #FLax vs. The Field:

• In the regular season, Florida went 3-0 against the other three tournament teams and outscored them 52-30
• The Gators scored at least 16 goals against each opponent
• Florida won the draw control battle in all three matchups, ending with a +23 margin
• Freshman Shannon Kavanagh led the offensive attack against the trio of opponents, recording 18 points on nine goals and nine assists
• Sophomore Haley Hicklen notched 19 saves and a .498 save percentage in the three games

  Coach O’Leary’s Insight On playing Marquette again: “We caught them on a very good day when we played them before. They have had some really good games leading up to this point, so we’re looking forward to a good game and I’m sure they will come out ready to compete. “It’s always interesting to play a team twice – they know about us, we know about them. The ins and outs are already out there, but what I think is unique is that we have had some games in between. We’ve grown a lot and I’m sure they have grown a lot as well, so I don’t think we have to worry about it being a repeat. They are going to be ready to come in here and play a good game.” On what hosting means for the program: “It’s great for us to host, it’s nice for us to not have to be on the road for four days. It’s also exciting for our fans to have top-notch lacrosse come to the area. It is a great opportunity to for young lacrosse players – both boys and girls – to come out and see some really great lacrosse being played. It’s also great playing in front of our home fans, our team gets excited for that momentum.” Watch the rest of Coach O’Leary’s Press Conference here. No. 6 Florida vs. Marquette Broadcast Information  Time: 4 p.m. Live Stream: BIG EAST Digital Network Live Stats: Sidearm Series Information

• Fifth meeting between Florida and Marquette
• Gators lead 4-0
• Home: 2-0 | Away: 2-0 | Neutral: 0-0
• Last meeting: April 14, 2018 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 18-6

  Quick Facts

• Florida is looking to win its fourth-straight BIG EAST Tournament championship
• Over the past three BIG EAST Tournaments (six games), the Gators have outscored their opponents 104-47
• This is the first time UF is playing host to the BIG EAST Tournament and second time hosting a conference tournament in program history (2012, ALC)
• The Gators have won 25 straight regular season BIG EAST games and 31 straight against BIG EAST opponents (including postseason play), which is the longest streak in school history
• Haley Hicklen and Lindsey Ronbeck were named to the 2018 Tewaaraton Award Top-25 nominee list
• #PirrecaPower: Pirreca sisters Shayna and Sydney have combined to score 33% (93/285) of Florida’s goals in 2018
• Shayna Pirreca is on a 37-game streak of scoring at least one goal, the longest streak in UF history. Her 39 consecutive games with a point is tied for third-best in program history
• Florida owns a record of 85-14 (.859) record in the confines of Donald R. Dizney Stadium

  Fan Information The Gators play host to the BIG EAST Tournament action this week.

Semifinal
Thursday, May 3	4 p.m.	Florida vs Marquette		BEDN
Thursday, May 3	7 p.m.	Georgetown vs Denver		BEDN
Final
Saturday, May 5	Noon	Thursday’s winners		FOX Sports 2

Purchase an all-sessions pass or tickets for semifinal and championship action.

Ticket Options	Time	Adult	Children (12 & Under)
All-Session Pass		$8	$5
May 3 (Semifinals)	4 p.m. & 7 p.m.	$5	$3
May 5 (championship)	Noon ET	$5	$3

Students from any participating BIG EAST team admitted free. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE or visit the Gator Ticket Office. Gator Ticket Office Contact Info:  

	Location:	Gate 1 – Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET)
	Phone:	1-800-34-GATOR
	Web:	FloridaGators.com/Tickets (scroll down on page to find BIG EAST tickets)
	Transfer Tickets:	FloridGators.com/myaccount

Up Next Should the Gators defeat Marquette, they will advance to the BIG EAST Championship game, against the winner of Georgetown/Denver, on Saturday at 12 p.m. Follow the Gators #FLax Twitter Instagram Facebook