GAINESVILLE, Fla. – With an extremely challenging non-conference schedule behind them, the No. 6 University of Florida lacrosse team (6-3, 1-0) will look ahead to the majority of its BIG EAST slate, beginning with a Top-25 road test at the No. 24 Georgetown Hoyas (5-2, 1-0) on Saturday.
The opening draw is set for 12 p.m. from Cooper Field in Washington, D.C. Fox College Sports Atlantic will broadcast the BIG EAST clash, with Scott Sudikoff and Monika Moore on the call.
No. 6 Florida at No. 24 Georgetown Live Stream
Saturday's tilt will be the eighth meeting between the Gators and Hoyas, with Florida maintaining a 6-1 edge in the series. Last season, three caused turnovers from
Aniya Flanagan helped the Gator defense stifle Georgetown en route to a 15-3 victory and UF's third consecutive BIG EAST regular season championship.
In addition, Saturday's game will be the first ranked meeting between Florida and Georgetown since 2012, when No. 4 Florida claimed a 12-9 victory at No. 15 Georgetown.
The No. 24 Hoyas are the eighth of nine IWLCA top-25 opponents for the Gators this season. UF has already challenged No. 17 Colorado, No. 1 Maryland, No. 23 Loyola, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 8 Syracuse, No. 10 Navy and No. 14 Towson; with No. 24 Georgetown, and No. 23 Denver still left on the schedule. The Gators are 4-3 against ranked opponents in 2018.
Georgetown opened BIG EAST play against Villanova in its last contest, taking a 19-10 decision behind a seven-point performance from Emily Ehle.
Head Coach Amanda O'Leary:
"I think this game comes at a great time for our team. We were outplayed by Towson on Wednesday night, and tomorrow (at Georgetown) will be a terrific opportunity for us to regroup and show some resiliency. Georgetown is a very well coached team that has been in several close games this season. Valuing possession of the ball and converting those possessions in to good looks offensively will be essential for us."
Chasing History
Amanda O'Leary has the ability to etch her name in the record books on Saturday afternoon, with the chance to become just the fifth DI women's lacrosse coach to win 300 career games. O'Leary is currently 299-100 (.749) in 23 years as a head coach.
Now in her ninth season at the helm of Florida's lacrosse program, O'Leary has the ability to join Navy's Cindy Timchal (497), Princeton's Chris Sailer (390), North Carolina's Jenny Levy (318), and Virginia's Julie Myers (307) as the only coaches to accomplish that feat.
Under O'Leary's tutelage, the Gators have posted a 137-35 record since the inception of the program in 2010. Florida has 127 total wins since 2011, the second most of any DI institution.
Scouting the Hoyas
Georgetown has played three teams ranked in the IWILCA Top-25 this season, defeating No. 19 Johns Hopkins while suffering a pair of losses to No. 19 Towson and No. 13 Penn. The Hoyas rank in the top half of the BIG EAST in scoring offense (14.14), assists per game (6.0), and shooting percentage (.452). Francesca Whitehurst leads the Conference by winning 5.71 draw controls per game, while Emily Ehle's 2.14 assists per game are second in the BIG EAST.
No. 6 Florida at No. 24 Georgetown Broadcast Information
Time: 12 p.m.
Live Stream: FOX College Sports Atlantic
Live Stats: GameTracker
Pregame Notes
Series Information
- Saturday's battle will be the eighth meeting between Florida and Georgetown
- Florida leads: 6-1
- Home: 3-1 | Away: 3-0
- Last Time Out: April 29, 2017 in Gainesville: W, 15-3
Quick Facts
- The Gators have won 23 consecutive games against BIG EAST opponents dating back to the 2015 season.
- Head Coach Amanda O'Leary is looking to become just the fifth coach in the history of Division I women's lacrosse to win 300 games in her career. O'Leary is currently 299-100 in 23 seasons as a head coach.
- #PirrecaPower: Pirreca sisters Shayna and Sydney have combined to score 37% (50/136) of UF's goals in 2018.
- Shayna Pirreca has scored a goal in 29 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in UF history. The senior is three games shy of passing Mollie Stevens (31) for the most all-time.
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