First draw is set for 6 p.m. at Klockner Stadium on Friday.
Watch Florida take on North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/7bf10207-8163-42a8-88ff-4b7d6b99fcee>
Follow throughout the game for live stats<https://www.ncaa.com/game/6291977>
Ticket Information<https://virginiasports.com/tickets/>
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Florida lacrosse team will kick off the 2024 Women’s NCAA Lacrosse Tournament on Friday, as they will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels at Klockner Stadium. Opening draw will start at 6 p.m. and stream on ESPN+ with Corey Spector on the call. The winner of this matchup will move on to face the winner of the Virginia vs. LIU matchup on Sunday at 1 p.m. The full bracket can be found here<https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/lacrosse-women/d1/2024>.
This is the 17th career meeting between the Gators and the Tar Heels, with North Carolina leading the series 13-3. The two teams met earlier this season on Feb. 17, when the 12th ranked Gators fell to the No. 6 Tar Heels by a score of 19-10 in Chapel Hill. It was a game that the Gators led by as many as three goals in the first half, but the Tar Heels outscored the Gators 11-2 in the second half to pull away for the victory. Emily Heller led the way with three goals in the contest.
Tournament History
The Gators own a 13-12 record all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and are 5-0 in the first round. Florida has outscored their opponents 86-43 in five career first round games, outscoring their opponent by 8.60 goals per matchup.
UF has squared off twice against the Tar Heels twice in the NCAA Tournament, losing both times in 2015 and 2019. They both occurred in the second round.
Coming into this Matchup
Florida (17-2, 6-0 AAC) is coming off their 10th straight conference tournament title, as they defeated James Madison by a score of 21-11 last Sunday in Nashville. The Gators had four players record a hat-trick in the same game for the first time since April 18, 2021. Maggi Hall (five), Ashley Gonzalez (four), Emily Heller, and Danielle Pavinelli (four) each recorded hat-tricks, as Elyse Finnelle stopped 12 shots to help secure the victory.
Outlook on the Tar Heels
North Carolina (10-6, 6-3 ACC) is coming off a loss 15 days ago to Virginia by a score of 13-12. The Tar Heels are appearing in their 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels are led offensively by attacker Ashley Humphrey, who leads the Tar Heels in points (57) and assists (38). Kiley Motice leads North Carolina in goals with 33 on the season, while Emily Nalls anchors the back line for the Tar Heels. The Tewaaraton top-25 nominee leads the team in ground balls (30), caused turnovers (27) and draw controls (56). North Carolina is coached by Jenny Levy who is in her 29th season in Chapel Hill. She has a career record of 421-129.
What to Know About the Gators
The Gators are riding the nation’s longest winning streak at 17 games, also good for a program record. UF has averaged 19.35 goals per game over this 17-game winning streak, outscoring opponents by an average of 12.35 goals per game. Offensively, Florida is led by Hall, Pavinelli and Heller. Hall leads the team in goals (49), assists (50) and points (99). She is looking to become just the second player in program history to have a 100-point season.
Pavinelli leads the team with nine hat-tricks this season, leading to 47 goals. She also has 13 multi assist games, good for a career high 33 assists. Heller ranks third on the team in goals with 41, but ranks first in ground balls (23), and second in both draw controls (34) and caused turnovers (10).
Liz Harrison anchors the special team’s unit, leading Florida in draw controls with 209 on the season. Elyse Finnelle resides in net, having 118 saves this season on a .539 save percentage.
Sharing is Caring
This matchup features two of the top facilitating teams in the country. The Gators rank second in the country in assists per game (9.26 per game), as they have had 11 games this season with 10 or more assists. North Carolina ranks ninth, averaging 8.12 assists per game.
Key Notes
* After missing four games, Gianna Monaco has totaled 14 points over her last five games, scoring nine goals and five assists
* The Gators last night game was on May 4, 2023 against East Carolina, where they won by a score of 13-9
* Coaches Amanda O’Leary (399) and Jenny Levy (421) both rank inside the top-three among active division l coaches in wins
* The Tar Heels and the Gators both have 227 wins since 2011, tied for second in division l during that span
Milestone Watching
* Amanda O’Leary is one win away from 400 for her career
* Danielle Pavinelli is three goals away from 200 for her career
* Ashley Gonzalez sits two assists behind Ashley Bruns and Brianna Harris for second all-time
* Maggi Hall sits one point away from 100 points this season, and needs nine to hold the record for most points in a season at Florida
* Madison Waters is three goals away from 100 for her career
Active Streaks (eight games or better)
* Maggi Hall<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/maggi-hall/16408>: points (38)
* Liz Harrison<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/liz-harrison/16409>: draw controls (20)
* Danielle Pavinelli<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/danielle-pavinelli/16417>: points (18)
* Ashley Gonzalez<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/ashley-gonzalez/16405>: points (17)
* Elyse Finnelle<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/elyse-finnelle/16402>: saves (11)
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