by Katie Callahan

Florida looks to clinch the outright AAC Championship on Saturday. 

GAME NOTES

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The ninth-ranked Florida lacrosse team closes out its regular season on Saturday in Greenville, N.C., taking on the East Carolina Pirates.

Opening draw is set for 11 p.m. on ESPN+. In the latest IWLCA/ILWomen Top-25 Poll, Florida jumped up one spot to No. 9 after its ninth-straight victory.

No. 9 Florida at ECU Live Stream

The Gators and the Pirates are meeting for the fourth time in program history, with Florida holding the 3-0 series advantage. The last time these two teams faced off, UF topped East Carolina 19-7 on April 3, 2021 in Gainesville, Fla.

In its last contest, Florida defeated the 22nd-ranked Jacksonville Dolphins 12-6 in the final nonconference game of the season, while East Carolina won its matchup against Cincinnati, 15-9.

With a win against East Carolina on Saturday, the Gators will secure the outright regular season championship. Florida clinched at least a share against Temple on April 23 and has already earned the No. 1 seed in the AAC Tournament, taking place in Greenville, N.C. on May 5 and 7.

Florida has won both the regular season and the conference tournament championship in each of the two complete seasons of the AAC thus far (2019, 2021) and has gone undefeated in the AAC since joining in 2019.

Scouting the Pirates

• East Carolina comes into Saturday’s game with a 9-7 record overall and the Pirates are 2-2 in the league, with wins over Old Dominion and Cincinnati
• Florida holds the 3-0 series advantage over the Pirates, with all three games being played in Gainesville
• Through 16 games this season, Megan Tryniski (33g, 21a), Frances Kimel (24g, 30a), Leah Bestany (37g, 4a) and Nicole Legar (25g, 5a) are leading the way offensively
• Flynn Reed and Nicole Legar are leading the way in the draw circle, with 80 and 60 draws, respectively
• On the defensive end, Alexandra Giacolone has a team-high 23 caused turnovers, followed by 17 from Caroline Meininger and 10 from Ellie Bromley
• Brynn Knight has seen a majority of minutes in the games for the Pirates, coming up with 109 saves on a .438 saves percentage during her 681:42 in the cage. Sophie Bandorick has also seen action between the pipes, recording 47 saves with a .505 save percentage in her 254:42 played

Florida vs. ECU Statistical Comparison

No. 9 Florida at ECU Broadcast Information
Time & Date: Saturday, April 30 | 11 a.m.      
Live Stream:ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

Series Information – No. 9 Florida at ECU
Pirates | 2022 season: 9-7, 2-2 AAC

• This is the fourth meeting between the Gators and the Pirates
• Florida leads 3-0
• Home: 3-0 | Away: 0-0 | Neutral: 0-0
• Last Time Out: April 3, 2021 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 19-7 

Quick Facts

• Florida has won a regular season conference championship in 11 of the 13 years the program has existed
• The Gators have not dropped a conference game since April 18, 2015 and have not lost a regular season conference game since that same day
  • That’s 56 games overall and 44 regular season games that Florida has won in conference
• Florida is 10-0 this season against teams not ranked in the IWLCA/ILWomen Top-25 poll
• When scoring at least 14 goals, the Gators are 161-2 (.988) in program history
• Streaking: Sarah Reznick has recorded a save in 45-straight games, the second-longest streak in program history
• Streaking: Danielle Pavinelli has registered a point in 19-straight games
• Streaking: Emma LoPinto has tallied a point in 13-straight games
• Streaking: Emily Heller has recorded a draw control in 16-straight games
• Streaking: Liz Harrison has recorded a draw control in 13-straight games
• Streaking: Emma Wightman has caused a turnover in six-straight games, tied for the fifth-longest streak in program history   

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