No. 4 Gators Open 2012 Saturday at No. 3 North Carolina
Thursday, February 9, 2012 | Lacrosse
The University of Florida lacrosse team begins it 2012 campaign on Saturday, Feb. 11, with a trip to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Both teams are ranked in the top five in every national poll, with the Gators ranked No. 4 by the IWLCA and No. 3 by Inside Lacrosse/deBeer and the Tar Heels at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively. Opening draw is set for noon.
This weekend's matchup marks the second-straight season in which the Gators open at UNC. In the 2011 lid-lifter, then-No. 17 Florida took on then-No. 3 North Carolina in a back-and-forth battle that went into overtime. After falling behind, 3-0, UF scored five straight goals to a take a 5-3 lead. The Tar Heels scored their fourth just 13 later, and tied the game before the half. After UNC went up 6-5, the Gators surged ahead, 8-6, with 13 minutes to play. However, the Tar Heels tied the score at eight to send the game into OT, and eventually came out on top, 10-9.
The Gators have yet to take down a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference, going 0-3 over the past two seasons against ACC teams. In addition to the 2011 season opener, Florida fell to North Carolina, 18-5, in February, 2010, and dropped the final game of 2011 to then-No. 5 Duke, 13-9, in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Prior to the regular season, Florida took on the England National Team on Jan. 26 in its first-ever international exhibition game. The Gators dazzled the English on both ends of the field, cruising to a 17-2 victory.
Florida's offense was led by junior transfer Gabi Wiegand (Bay Shore, N.Y.), who put up five goals and two assists in her Orange and Blue debut. Freshmen Nicole Graziano (Mendham, N.J.), Nora Barry (Marcellus, N.Y.) and Taylor McCord (Jacksonville, Fla.) all got on the board in their first full-length game at the college level, as Graziano scored four goals, Barry had two, and McCord pitched in the final score of the game. Junior First-Team All-American Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.) netted three scores in the first half, and Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) and Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) added the final two.
On the defensive end, Mikey Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.) and Cara Canington (Bel Air, Md.) split time in the goal cage, combining to make 10 saves while allowing just one goal apiece. As a team, the Gators led England 16-8 in ground balls and 15-6 in draw controls, with Dashiell leading the team in both categories with three of each.
The Tar Heels return eight of their 12 starters from their successful 2011 season, which included a 15-6 record and an appearance in the Final Four. Additionally, North Carolina boasts the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation. In 2011, the Tar Heels finished sixth in the nation in scoring defense (8.43) led by junior goalkeeper Lauren Maksym, who ranked sixth in the nation in goals-against average (8.30), 15th in save percentage (.472) and 19th in total saves (150).
North Carolina also ranked eighth in points scored (384), and though they lose First-Team All-American Corey Donohue to graduation, the Tar Heels return attackers Becky Lynch and Abbey Friend and midfielder Laura Zimmerman. Lynch led the Tar Heels in points and assists in 2011, finishing ninth in the nation with 36 assists and 13th with 76 points. Zimmerman was the team's second-leading scorer with 43 goals, while adding 15 assists for 58 total points, and Friend tallied 33 goals and 14 assists for 47 points as a sophomore.
The radio broadcast of Saturday's game will be streamed live on GatorZone with Kailey Mizelle on the call. LiveStats will be available here and you can follow @GatorZoneLAX on twitter for live updates from the press box.
