Opening draw is set for 12 noon Saturday between the Gators and Greyhounds.
No. 7 Florida Hosts No. 13 Loyola in Season Opener Saturday at Noon
Friday, February 5, 2016 | Lacrosse
Gators open 2016 with top-20 showdown.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The preseason No. 7 Gator lacrosse team will waste no time jumping into a challenging non-conference schedule with a clash against No. 13 Loyola to open the 2016 campaign Saturday at home. Opening draw is slated for noon from Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
The Gators and Greyhounds will square off for the fourth time in program history with Florida holding a 3-0 advantage in the series. The top-20 showdown will be the first of six ranked match-ups for the Orange and Blue through the non-conference stretch leading into BIG EAST play. UF will take on a three-match home stand to open the season before heading to No. 2 North Carolina Feb. 20. Saturday's tilt will stream live on GatorVision and air live on ESPN Gainesville (95.3 FM/850 AM) with Joel Sebastianelli and Ben Murphy on the call.
WATCH: Amanda O'Leary Preseason Press Conference
Admission is FREE to all Gator lacrosse games. The first 350 fans to Saturday's game against Loyola will enjoy Cox Communications seat cushions. Kids 12 and under are invited to the field to form a pre-game tunnel. Fans will additionally be able to enter a drawing to win tickets to Gator gymnastics' Link to Pink meet vs. Arkansas Feb. 12 by guessing the halftime score between Florida and Loyola. As always, t-shirts will be thrown into the stands after each Gator goal, courtesy of Subway.
The defending BIG EAST Champions were picked by vote of the league's head coaches to repeat in 2016 in the preseason coaches' poll, while five Gators picked up Preseason All-BIG EAST Team accolades. Three Florida Gators were tabbed Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans: Caroline Fitzgerald on the first team, Mollie Stevens and Taylor Bresnahan both representing on the second team.
NO. 7 FLORIDA VS NO. 13 LOYOLA BROADCAST INFORMATION
Loyola Greyhounds (Feb. 6)
Time: 12 noon (ET)
Live Stream: GatorVision
Radio: ESPN Gainesville
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
NOTABLES
The Gators and Greyhounds will square off for the fourth time in program history with Florida holding a 3-0 advantage in the series. The top-20 showdown will be the first of six ranked match-ups for the Orange and Blue through the non-conference stretch leading into BIG EAST play. UF will take on a three-match home stand to open the season before heading to No. 2 North Carolina Feb. 20. Saturday's tilt will stream live on GatorVision and air live on ESPN Gainesville (95.3 FM/850 AM) with Joel Sebastianelli and Ben Murphy on the call.
WATCH: Amanda O'Leary Preseason Press Conference
Admission is FREE to all Gator lacrosse games. The first 350 fans to Saturday's game against Loyola will enjoy Cox Communications seat cushions. Kids 12 and under are invited to the field to form a pre-game tunnel. Fans will additionally be able to enter a drawing to win tickets to Gator gymnastics' Link to Pink meet vs. Arkansas Feb. 12 by guessing the halftime score between Florida and Loyola. As always, t-shirts will be thrown into the stands after each Gator goal, courtesy of Subway.
The defending BIG EAST Champions were picked by vote of the league's head coaches to repeat in 2016 in the preseason coaches' poll, while five Gators picked up Preseason All-BIG EAST Team accolades. Three Florida Gators were tabbed Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans: Caroline Fitzgerald on the first team, Mollie Stevens and Taylor Bresnahan both representing on the second team.
NO. 7 FLORIDA VS NO. 13 LOYOLA BROADCAST INFORMATION
Loyola Greyhounds (Feb. 6)
Time: 12 noon (ET)
Live Stream: GatorVision
Radio: ESPN Gainesville
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
NOTABLES
- Gator head coach Amanda O'Leary enters the 2016 season as the fifth winningest active Division I coach with her .737 winning percentage in 20 years as a head coach (258-92, .737). O'Leary is the 17th winningest coach all-time in the history of NCAA women's lacrosse.
- UF has won five conference titles in the program's six seasons: 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014 American Lacrosse Conference Champions and 2015 BIG EAST Champions
- The Gators played in the 2012 Final Four and have advanced to the NCAA Tournament every year since 2011
- Florida is 2-4 all-time in season openers under O'Leary and notably has opened five of its six seasons against powerhouse North Carolina. Florida's inaugural season debuted with Sunshine State opponent Jacksonville, thus 2016 marks just the second season the Gators have not opened against UNC. Of note, the Gators will take on the Tar Heels in week three action in Chapel Hill Feb. 20
- A new season brings two new faces on the Florida coaching staff in Crysti Foote and Becca Block -- both elite college players, national team members and renowned coaches heading into their first seasons in Gainesville
- Florida ranks No. 7 in both the IWLCA Preseason Coaches' Poll and Inside Lacrosse Preseason Rankings
- The Gators boast a senior class of 10 athletes, led by captains Sydney DuPre, Nicole Graziano, Lauren Lea & Devon Schneider
- UF also boasts the No. 1 and No. 2 recruits in the 2016 freshman class in Sydney Pirreca and Lindsey Ronbeck
QUICK 2015 RECAP
- Florida finished 2015 at 15-6 overall, 6-1 in BIG EAST play and advanced to the NCAA Second Round, the program's fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in six seasons
- Last season, the Gators won the BIG EAST their first season in the league, racking up the program's fifth conference title in its six seasons of existence
- The Gators ranked third in the nation in scoring offense (15.52/g), 12th in scoring defense (8.00/g) and checked in sixth in assists per game (6.38) and 11th in draw controls (14.48) in 2015
- While Florida lost NCAA Woman of the Year nominee Nora Barry, Tewaaraton Finalist Shannon Gilroy and Mikki Offit to graduation, UF returns its entire defense and a number of offensive weapons
- Florida out-scored its regular-season opponents 121-37 and set a BIG EAST Tournament record by outscoring its tourney foes by 24 goals
UF | LOYOLA SERIES HISTORY
- 2015 Record: 17-5, 8-0 Patriot League (Patriot League Champions)
- Series Record: Florida leads, 3-0
- Home: 2-0 | Away: 1-0 | Neutral: 0-0
- Last Time Out: March 3, 2015 at Gainesville | W, 11-8
FLORIDA vs. LOYOLA STATISTICAL COMPARISON (2015)
| FLORIDA | *** | LOYOLA |
| 326 | GOALS | 284 |
| 134 | ASSISTS | 140 |
| 304 | DRAW CONTROLS | 239 |
| 374 | GROUND BALLS | 338 |
| 172 | CAUSED TURNOVERS | 176 |
| 617 | SHOTS | 567 |
| 487 | SHOTS ON GOAL | 431 |
| .528 | SHOT PERCENTAGE | .501 |
| 127 | SAVES | 186 |
| .431 | SAVE PERCENTAGE | .511 |
UP NEXT
The Orange and Blue will continue a three-game home stand to open the 2016 season. Florida will host Michigan Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. and the Wales National Team in Thursday action Feb. 18 at 4 p.m. before its first road trip to No. 2 North Carolina Feb. 20.
The first 100 fans at the Gators-Wolverines game who show their Feb. 12 gymnastics ticket OR wear their Link to Pink t-shirt will receive a voucher for a free bag of popcorn. Fans will also have the opportunity to win a Valentine's Date Night special, which includes a FLAX prize pack, a dozen roses and a $50 gift card to Ballyhoo Grill in Gainesville.
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