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UF: #2 Gators Finish Road Stretch at Temple Saturday

Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in .
via press release – photo via UF web site   GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida women’s lacrosse team (13-2, 7-0) faces a stiff road test on Saturday against the Temple Owls (13-2, 6-1). Florida and Temple will be meeting for the sixth time, with the Gators holding a 5-0 advantage in the series. Last season, Florida picked up a pair of wins over the Owls, including a 16-4 win in the BIG EAST Championship. The opening draw is set for 1 p.m. from the Temple Sports Complex in Philadelphia. A live stream of the game will be available online via OwlsTV. No. 2 Florida is leading the nation in scoring offense (17.00) and is second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense (9.07). The Gators have won 18 consecutive BIG EAST games, including a 22-2 rout of Butler on April 15. For the season, the Orange and Blue have five wins over opponents ranked in the IWLCA top-20. Four Gators have scored at least 52 points this season, led by 62 from senior attacker Sammi Burgess (28 goals, 34 assists). Fellow senior attacker Mollie Stevensleads Florida with 44 goals, 85 draw controls, and 38 ground balls. Senior Caroline Fitzgerald (20 caused turnovers, 34 ground balls) and sophomore goalkeeper Haley Hicklen (109 saves, .482 save percentage) head Florida’s defensive efforts. Temple enters Saturday’s game on a BIG EAST-best six game win streak. The Owls have dropped a pair of decisions to ranked opponents: No. 13 Princeton and No. 14 Denver. Most recently, Temple won a road contest at Vanderbilt, 11-10. Senior attacker Brenda McDermott (35 goals, 30 assists) and freshman goalkeeper Maryn Lowell (102 saves, .457 save percentage) lead the way for the Owls. #FLaxAttack With 164 combined goals this season, Florida’s main rotation of attackers (Sammi Burgess, Madisyn Kittell, Shayna Pirreca, Lindsey Ronbeck, and Mollie Stevens) have scored more goals than 57 Division I teams, including three ranked programs: No. 10 Penn, No. 12 Cornell, and No. 15 Northwestern. No. 2 Florida at Temple Broadcast Information Time: 1 P.M. Live Stream: OwlsTV Live Stats: Sidearm Stats Pregame Notes Series Information
  • Saturday’s game will be the sixth meeting between Florida and Temple
  • Florida leads: 5-0
  • Home: 3-0 | Away: 1-0 | Neutral: 1-0
  • Last Time Out: May 7, 2016 in the BIG EAST Tournament | W, 16-4
Quick Facts
  • Caroline Fitzgerald is just two ground balls away from passing Nora Barry (141) for the most all-time at Florida
  • The Gators have won 18 consecutive BIG EAST games dating back to the 2015 season
  • #PirrecaPower: Pirreca sisters Shayna and Sydney have combined to score 26% (67/255) of Florida’s goals this season
  • Temple enters Saturday’s tilt a perfect 7-0 at home in 2017
  • With a win over the Owls, Florida would lock up the No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, and clinch at least a share of the BIG EAST regular-season title
Up Next Florida will wrap up the regular season at home against the Georgetown Hoyas (8-7, 6-1) for Senior Day on April 29 at 1 P.M. Follow the Gators #FLax Twitter Instagram Facebook