The theme is Equality Day, as the Gators look to make it six straight wins.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Coming off a successful three game west coast road trip, the No. 13 Florida lacrosse team plays their first of five straight home games, as they take on the 21st ranked Princeton Tigers on Wednesday at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, while admission is free at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
This will be the second career meeting between the two programs, and the first matchup since 2019. The 16th ranked Gators at the time fell to ninth ranked Princeton in their lone meeting by a score of 13-11 in Gainesville. That loss dropped Florida to 3-6, while the win for Princeton moved them to 5-1.
Florida currently sits at 5-2, riding a five-game winning streak. The Gators are coming off a three-game road trip in California and Arizona where they outscored their three opponents by a margin of 66-18. They defeated Arizona State 22-6, UC Davis 21-7, and San Diego State 23-5. 17 different players had a point last game for the Gators, which was a program record. Maggi Hall led the way with seven points, breaking the all-time assists record in Gators history which was previously 94.
Outlook on the Tigers
Princeton is 3-2 on the season, following a win over Monmouth by a score of 18-6. The Tigers are coached by Jenn Cook who is in her second season as head coach, and 12th season overall. She has taken over for Chris Sailer, who totaled 433 career wins which is good for second all-time amongst division l women’s lacrosse coaches. The Tigers have three different players this season with at least 10 goals, led by Mckenzie Blake with 16. Grace Tauckus leads the Tigers with 19 points on 12 goals and seven assists.
How About Them Gators?
Florida has been clicking at both ends of the field, scoring 20 or more and allowing seven or less goals in four consecutive games while outscoring their opponent by a +16.25 margin. It is the first time they have scored 20 or more goals in three or more consecutive games. The Gators rank inside the top 15 nationally in numerous categories, including 15th in assists per game (7.71), 10th in draw controls per game (17.00), tied for eighth in points per game (24.86), 11th in scoring margin (+7.00), and sixth in scoring offense (17.14 goals per game).
Depth is Key
The Gators have had 20 different players record a point so far this season, including seven players with at least 10. Hall (15 goals, 22 assists), Danielle Pavinelli (13 goals, nine assists), Madison Waters (13 goals, three assists), Emily Heller (15 goals), Paisley Eagan (11 goals, two assists), and Ashley Gonzalez (five goals, five assists) lead the way for the balanced group.
Hall Will Get You the Ball
The senior has 21 assists over her last four games, currently sitting at seventh in the nation with 3.14 assists per game. She had eight assists last week against UC Davis, which was a record for the most in a Florida game. Hall earned her 200th career point last week, becoming the 12th player in program history to achieve that milestone. She was named AAC Attacker of the Week on Monday.
Liz Lives for the Draw
Liz Harrison set a program record 19 draw controls last week in the win over UC Davis. Harrison is third in the nation in draw controls per game at 10.43, and leads the nation in total amount with 73. She has reached double digit draw controls in four of the last five games, and is just 17 shy of 300 for her career.
Georgia Grabs Another Save
Georgia Hoey has been getting it done in net, earning her second AAC Goalkeeper of the Week nod this year. She has 34 saves this season, on a .586 save percentage. The UConn Transfer is 5-0 on the season, and has given up five or less goals in the last five games.
Key Notes
* Florida has won nine consecutive regular season home games, and 14 of 15
* The gators have a 1-2 record this season against ranked opponents, and a 72-50 record in their history
Milestone Watching
* Madison Waters sits five points shy of 100 for her career
* Maggi Hall is five assists away from 100 for her career
* Emily Heller is nine draw controls away from 200 for her career
* Liz Harrison is 17 draw controls away from 300 for her career
* Amanda O’Leary is 13 wins away from 400 for her career
Active Streaks
* Maggi Hall<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/maggi-hall/16408>: points (26), goals (15)
* Madison Waters<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/madison-waters/16420>: points (15)
* Emily Heller<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/emily-heller/16410>: points (14), goals (9)
* Liz Harrison: draw controls (8)
Watch No. 13 Florida take on No. 21 Princeton<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/550eb0cf-ce44-40a3-9569-34e56f20bf4a>
Follow throughout the game with live stats<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=517427>
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