Game Notes
BALTIMORE, Md. – The fifth-ranked Florida Gators are on the road for another Top-20 clash, facing the No. 16 Loyola Greyhounds on Saturday.
Opening draw is set for 12 p.m. at the Ridley Athletic Complex and the game will be streamed on the Patriot League Network.
No. 5 Florida at No. 16 Loyola Live Stream
The Gators are coming off a tightly-contested loss to No. 2 Maryland on Feb. 14, where Florida lost 17-12. Loyola is also coming off a loss against Johns Hopkins, where the Greyhounds lost 13-11.
This is the seventh meeting between the two teams, with Florida holding the 6-0 series advantage. Last season's matchup went into overtime at Donald R. Dizney Stadium, with the Gators coming out victorious, 17-16.
The 16th-ranked Greyhounds are the third of eight IWLCA Top-25 opponents the Gators will face in their non-conference schedule this season. Florida will host No. 8 Syracuse, No. 3 North Carolina, and No. 9 Princeton; and will travel to No. 18 Navy and No. 6 Stony Brook.
O'Leary's Insight
On the takeaways from the first two games of the season
"Very excited about how we came out against Colorado, then we turned around and had a big game against Maryland. We didn't come out of the blocks very quickly, which set us back. We looked at film and reevaluated some things we were doing offensively and I think we are ready to go into this weekend with Loyola."
On draws
"Draws are going to be huge this game. Ironically Taryn [VanThof's] sister is their draw specialist, so when we need to mimic what Taylor would do, we put Taryn in the draw circle. Taylor [VanThof] has two more inches on Taryn, but they do the same thing in the circle, so it has been very helpful for us."
On Hicklen's performance in the goal this season
"Haley played lights out against Maryland, but that is what we expect of her. That has been something we have relied on all four years here and she hasn't let us down yet. We have really high expectations for Haley and she is nailing it."
Exclusive Company
Since 2011, Florida has the second-most wins (139) of any DI women's lacrosse team
Institution W-L Win%
Maryland 173-12 .935
FLORIDA 139-29 .827
North Carolina 138-29 .812
Navy 131-35 .789
Syracuse 129-51 .717
Familial Ties
Assistant coach
Taryn VanThof played her collegiate career for the Greyhounds, graduating in 2015. VanThof's younger sister, Taylor, is a senior starter for Loyola, serving as the team's main draw specialist. Last season, she won 119 draws in 21 games. While at Loyola, Taryn wore the number 18, the same number Taylor wears to this day.
Scouting the Greyhounds
Loyola currently sits 16th in the IWLCA poll and 17th in the ILWomen poll after starting with a 13-11 loss to Johns Hopkins. The Greyhounds are led on the offensive front by Hannah Powers and Elli Kluegel, who each recorded three goals against the Blue Jays. Taylor VanThof won nine draws in the first game of the season, while goalkeeper Kady Glynn recorded seven saves against Johns Hopkins.
No. 5 Florida vs. No. 16 Loyola Broadcast Information
Time & Date: Saturday, Feb. 23 | 12 p.m.
Live Stream: Patriot League Network
Live Stats: Sidearm
Series Information – No. 5 Florida vs. No. 16 Loyola
Greyhounds | 2019 season: 0-1 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
- This is the seventh meeting between the two squads
- Florida leads the series 7-0
- Home: 4-0 | Away: 2-0 | Neutral: 0-0
- Last Time Out: Feb. 25, 2018 | Gainesville, Fla. | W, 17-16 OT
Quick Facts
- In last season's matchup, Lindsey Ronbeck and Shannon Kavanagh led the offense with four goals apiece
- Against Maryland, Haley Hicklen tied Florida's all-time saves record, registering the 407th of her career. With her first save against Loyola, Hicklen will hold sole possession of the program record
- Lindsey Ronbeck currently sits at 166 goals in her career, trying to become just the third Gator to reach 200 goals
- Streaking: Haley Hicklen has recorded a save in 28-straight games, the fourth-best mark in program history. Lindsey Ronbeck has also scored at least one goal in 13-straight games.
- The Gators hold a 49-18 in true road games (.731)
Follow the Gators:
#FLax
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
