University of Florida Lacrosse Set to Make Debut
Friday, February 19, 2010 | Lacrosse
The University of Florida lacrosse team is ready. February 20 has been a long time coming for head coach Amanda O'Leary and her squad, and the day has finally arrived. The Gators' lacrosse team will take the field on Saturday against Jacksonville at 6:00 p.m. in the first game in school history.
“We're very, very excited about it,” said Coach O'Leary. “It's not every day that we get to launch a new sport here at Florida and we're really proud to be a part of this.”
Jacksonville is another first-year program and the only other Division I lacrosse program in the state of Florida. The Dolphins enter the game with a 0-2 record, dropping their first two games to UMBC and Oregon.
The Gators will be playing their first regular-season game after tuning up with three exhibitions this spring. A trip to Orlando to face the U.S. National Development team resulted in a 17-8 loss, but UF bounced back with a tie against Rutgers, 7-7, and a win over Princeton, 10-8.
The 2010 Gators are comprised of 24 freshmen, two sophomores, one junior and two seniors. Although the team is young, they are not expected to be short on talent. Inside Lacrosse Magazine rated Florida's first signing class No. 1 in the nation.
“Having 24 freshmen is a unique experience, because you never know what you're going to get,” said O'Leary. “The exciting thing is that you really don't know what they're going to do. As much as it's a disadvantage, it's an advantage. They'll just go out and use their athleticism and there's no set tone to anything. They just go out and work hard, play hard, and that's all we're asking of them right now.”
The inaugural game is set to start at 6:00 p.m. at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Admission is free for all home games.
The game will be televised live on Sun Sports throughout the state of Florida and broadcast live on WRUF-AM850. An online broadcast will also be available online via GatorVision Online.
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