No. 3 Gators Host Big Green Saturday at Noon
Opening draw is set for 12 noon Saturday between the Gators and Big Green.
Photo By: Jim Burgess
Friday, February 26, 2016

No. 3 Gators Host Big Green Saturday at Noon

Kelly Reynolds
No. 3 Florida hosts Dartmouth Saturday at noon. Head coach Amanda O'Leary is on the brink of 100 wins at Florida and the Gators look to start 4-0 for the second time in program history.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- After notching their second ranked win of the season in a tough environment at North Carolina to go to 3-0 on the year, the No. 3 Gators return home for a tilt with Dartmouth Saturday afternoon at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Opening draw is slated for noon from The Diz.
 
Florida will look to open the campaign an undefeated 4-0 for the second time in program history, and will do so against a Big Green team that's 2-0 on the young season. Florida and Dartmouth have met four times in history, with UF holding a 4-0 advantage after an 18-10 win last season in Gainesville. While the Gators moved up to No. 3 in this week's IWLCA top-20 poll and No. 4 in the Inside Lacrosse media poll after a marquee win at UNC, the Big Green are receiving votes in the Feb. 22 media poll.
 
Gators head coach Amanda O'Leary is a win shy of her 100th win at the helm of the Florida program and could notch the milestone with a W Saturday. Meanwhile, junior Mollie Stevens will look to extend her school-record streak to 29 games with a goal. Stevens has 90 career goals at UF and will be just the fifth player in the program's history to eclipse 100 career goals when she does. The Florida-Dartmouth tilt will stream live on GatorVision and air live on ESPN Gainesville (95.3 FM/850 AM) with Adam Schick and Ryan Nelson on the call.
 
WATCH: Amanda O'Leary Weekly Press Conference | Pregame Notes
 
Last week was a big one for the Orange and Blue, as two Gators were named to the 2016 Tewaaraton Award Watch List, while freshman Sydney Pirreca and Mollie Stevens were honored for their contributions in Florida's big-time win over North Carolina.
 
SATURDAY PROMOTIONS: Pet Adoption Day (Visit with local animal shelters on site and get more information about pet adoption), Free Hot Dogs (Bring an item to donate to participating shelters and receive a voucher for a free hot dog), UFPD K9 Unit Meet and Greet (Meet the K9 officers of the UFPD K9 unit on the main concourse pre-game), Kids Korner (Kids can "adopt" their own puppy or kitten stuffed animal, name their pet, and receive an adoption certificate. Stick around at Kids Korner for coloring, crafts, games, and more! Albert and Alberta will also be stopping by), $2 Dog Day (Hot Dogs are just $2 at the concessions booth), Photo Contest (Post a photo of your pet in their best Gator gear on Twitter or Instagram with #FlaxPets throughout the week leading up to the Dartmouth game for the chance to win a FitBit! Winner will be announced in-game on February 27th), Pre-Game Tunnel (Kids 12 years old and under can participate in an on-field pre-game tunnel as the Gators run onto the field), Gators Kid Captain of the Game (Sign up at the Marketing table on the concourse for the chance to be announced pre-game and stand with the team during the captain's meeting) and Junior Gator Announcer (One lucky fan, 12 years old or younger, will get the chance to announce opening draw for the game).
 
NO. 3 FLORIDA VS. DARTMOUTH BROADCAST INFORMATION
Dartmouth Big Green (Feb. 27)
Time: 12 pm (ET)
Live Stream: GatorVision
Radio: ESPN Gainesville
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
 
NOTABLES
  • Gator head coach Amanda O'Leary entered the 2016 season as the fifth winningest active Division I coach with her .737 winning percentage in 20 years as a head coach. O'Leary is now (261-92, .739) overall in her career and is the 17th winningest coach all-time in the history of NCAA women's lacrosse. O'Leary is 99-27 (.786) all-time at the University of Florida and will notch win No. 100 with the Gators' next victory
  • Florida will be looking to start the season 4-0 against Dartmouth for just the second time in program history. Florida went 13-0 to start the 2013 season before its first loss
  • Pirrecas in their Prime: The Mount Sinai, N.Y., Pirreca sisters have been a 1-2 punch for the Gators offensively. After carrying Florida to victory against Michigan with a career-best four-goal splurge for BIG EAST Attacker of the Week honors for Shayna, Sydney turned it on with a career-best five-goal outing that was key in UF's victory at North Carolina. Sydney picked up BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors, Inside Lacrosse National Rookie of the Week and Lacrosse Magazine Player of the Week accolades. Shayna and Sydney have combined for 14 of UF's 43 goals (32 percent) through three games. Shayna leads UF with 13 points -- eight goals & five assists -- in the span
  • Defense Doing Work: The Gators have scored a defensive goal in all three games this season, with junior Taylor Bresnahan netting one goal each against Loyola and Michigan, while senior Sydney DuPre scored just her second career goal as a Gator at UNC
  • Balanced Attack: While UF relied heavily on All-American Shannon Gilroy last season, UF has featured a balanced attack in 2016 with a different break out player in each game so far: Mollie Stevens vs. Loyola (5 goals), Shayna Pirreca vs. Michigan (4 goals), Sydney Pirreca vs. North Carolina (5 goals). In all, 11 different players have scored, nine of those players with multiple goals so far in 2016
  • Streaking: Florida junior Mollie Stevens boasts a program record 28-game streak scoring a goal. Stevens had a 25-game strand entering 2016 and put up a career-high five goals against Loyola, then followed with three each against Michigan and No. 2 UNC. Also of note, senior goalkeeper MarySean Wilcox had a save in her ninth straight game against the Tar Heels
  • Home Cooking: Florida owns a 61-8 record at home in the friendly confines of Donald R. Dizney Stadium and will look to extend its home win streak to six against the Big Green. Florida last fell short to Stony Brook 12-11 at home March 17, 2015
  • Fresh Faces: Florida boasts the nation's No. 4 recruiting class this season, which includes the No. 1 (Sydney Pirreca) and No. 2 (Lindsey Ronbeck) recruits in the country. Pirreca and Ronbeck accounted for seven of Florida's 16 goals against North Carolina
  • Defensive Dandies: Junior defenders and preseason All-American candidates Taylor Bresnahan and Caroline Fitzgerald will be asked to anchor the Gator defense after playing a pivotal role in the UF's 12th-ranked scoring defense (8.00 gpg) last season. Florida will additionally rely heavily on senior captain Sydney DuPre on defense. Fitzgerald and middie Mollie Stevens were both named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List Feb. 23
  • Top Notch Competition: Last Saturday's match-up with then-No. 2 North Carolina marked the second of six nonconference games against teams ranked in the IWLCA top 20. Florida will also play No. 1 (Maryland), No. 2 (Syracuse), No. 11 (Stony Brook) and No. 15 (Boston College) between now and the middle of March. Of note, BIG EAST foe UConn entered the Feb. 22 IWLCA top-20 poll at No. 20, which would make seven ranked games for the Orange and Blue this season
UF | DARTMOUTH SERIES HISTORY
  • Dartmouth 2016 Record: 2-0
  • Series History: Florida leads, 4-0
  • Home: 3-0 | Away: 1-0 | Neutral: 0-0
  • Last Time Out: February 28, 2015 at Gainesville | W, 18-10

UP NEXT
The Orange and Blue will embrace another tough challenge on the road with a clash at new No. 2 Syracuse in New York Tuesday in the Carrier Dome. Florida will hit the road Monday and is scheduled to match up with the Orange at noon March 1.
 
Of note, Gators assistant Becca Block is a Syracuse graduate, and was the IWLCA and BIG EAST Defender of the Year her senior season in 2013.
 
Florida will next be at home Friday, March 4, for a 6:30 p.m. game against Niagara.
 
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