GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Up next for the Gators, a trip to Villanova. As the 2016 regular-season winds down, No. 2 Florida has just three regular-season games remaining before postseason play. First up, Villanova Saturday in Philly. The Gators and Wildcats will meet at noon at Goodreau field on the Villanova campus.
Up for grabs for Florida? A spot in the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament. The Gators (13-1, 4-0 BIG EAST) sit tied with UConn atop the conference standings heading into the final week of play. Both Florida and UConn are undefeated in league play -- and scheduled to meet on UF's Senior Day Sunday, April 24, in Gainesville.
With wins for both teams Saturday -- Florida at Nova and UConn versus Vandy, the Gators and Huskies can both clinch a spot in the four-team conference tournament scheduled to run May 5-7 in Washington, DC, at Georgetown's Cooper Field.
Last season, Florida's first year in the BIG EAST, UF shared the regular-season title with Georgetown and went on to win the tournament to add UF's fifth conference title in the program's sixth season of existence.
The battle-tested Gators are off to one of the best starts in school history at 13-1 overall with six ranked wins under their belt. UF entered the week of play ranked 11th in the nation in scoring margin (5.15), 15th in scoring offense (12.92), 16th in save percentage (.492) and 19th in scoring defense (7.77). UF checks in 18th in the NCAA in points per game (18.38), 21st in assists (5.46), 24th in GB (18.54) and 52nd in CT per game (8.31).
Florida is 2-0 all-time against Villanova, and will be taking on the Wildcats for the first time in Philly. The Gators emerged with a 21-3 decision in the first meeting between the two programs April 11, 2015, in Gainesville, before Florida won an 18-8 contest in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals April 30 last year. Villanova is 3-11 on the season, and enters the match up 1-3 in BIG EAST play. The Cats lost to Marquette before securing a win over Cincinnati. Most recently, Villanova fell at Georgetown Wednesday, 18-7, in mid-week action.
Of note, Gators head coach
Amanda O'Leary hails from Philadelphia, senior
Devon Schneider is from Lititz, Pa., approximately an hour away from Villanova and redshirt senior
Nicole Graziano calls Mendham, N.J. -- a two-hour trip from Villanova -- home.
LAST TIME OUT | Recap & HighlightsLast time out, Florida hosted Marquette in mid-week action April 13 at home. Freshman
Lindsey Ronbeck put on a show to guide the Gators to a 15-5 victory against the Golden Eagles and bump UF to 13-1, 4-0 in conference play. Ronbeck scored a career-high five goals and put up seven points towards the Orange and Blue tally. Her five goals tied for the most for a Gator in a game this season and her seven points were a season-best output for a Florida player.
Florida worked a shutout first period for the 12-0 lead at the half and extended the Gator advantage to 15-0 when
Nicole Graziano netted a
behind-the-back trick shot. Marquette scored the final five goals for the 15-5 finale, and for the second consecutive game, all 29 available Gator student-athletes saw action and contributed to the victory.
NO. 2 FLORIDA AT VILLANOVA BROADCAST INFORMATIONVillanova Wildcats (April 16) Time: 12 Noon (ET)
Live Stream ($)
Live Stats
THE RECORDSNo. 2 Florida: 13-1, 4-0 BIG EAST
Villanova: 3-11, 1-3 BIG EAST
UP NEXTAfter squaring off with Villanova, the Gators have just two more games remaining on the regular-season slate with a final road game at Cincinnati April 20, before returning home for Senior Day against UConn April 24. The 2016 BIG EAST Tournament will be held May 5-7 in Washington, DC, at Georgetown's Cooper Field.
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