GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 10 Florida lacrosse team will look to finish off their fourth undefeated regular season since joining the AAC in 2019, as they host the Temple Owls on Saturday at 12 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The winner of this game will be the No. 1 seed in the AAC Conference Tournament next week, and the Gators will be outright regular season champions with a victory.
Saturday will be Senior Day for Florida, as
Paisley Eagan,
Sarah Falk,
Catherine Flaherty,
Ashley Gonzalez,
Maggi Hall,
Liz Harrison,
Emily Heller,
Hannah Heller,
Emily Lortz,
Jackie Norsworthy,
Bella Palagonia,
Emma Panciocco,
Maria Pansini,
Danielle Pavinelli,
Kelly Schluederberg and
Madison Waters will be honored for their dedication to the program. The Senior Day ceremony will take place after the game.
This will be the 15th career meeting between these two teams, with Florida leading the series 14-0. The Gators have won nine of the 14 matchups by double digits, and have held the Owls to less than 10 goals 13 times. Last year's contest was a close game, as the Gators were victorious on the road by a score of 17-13. Only leading by one going into the fourth quarter, UF outscored Temple 5-2 in the final frame to get the four-goal victory. Five different Gators scored, led by
Emily Heller and Hall who combined for nine goals and 11 points on the day.
Florida (14-2, 5-0 AAC) is on the nation's second longest winning streak at 14, and are one game away from tying the program record of 15 which has been done three times and last happened in 2022. The Gators are coming off a successful road win, defeating Cincinnati by a score of 18-6 last Saturday. 10 different players scored, led by the sticks of Hall, Pavinelli and Gonzalez, who scored three goals each and combined for 15 of the team's 26 points on the afternoon.
Elyse Finnelle set a career high 14 saves, and
Ashley Dyer set career highs in ground balls and caused turnovers with three apiece.
Outlook on the Owls
Temple (9-5, 4-1 AAC) is coming off a loss last Sunday at home to Ohio State by a score of 10-9. The Owls are 8-3 at home and 1-2 on the road this season, with losses to James Madison and USC. They are 9-1 against unranked teams winning those nine games by a margin of +5.33 goals per game, but are 0-4 against top-25 opponents, losing those four games by an average margin of -5.50 goals.
Temple is led offensively by Belle Mastropietro, who leads the team with 60 points, on 37 goals, and 23 assists. She also leads the team in draw controls with 52. Defensively, the Owls are anchored by Katie Shallow, who ranks second in the nation in caused turnovers per game (3.79), and fourth in the nation in ground balls per game (3.79). Maddie Barber is another key contributor on defense, also ranking in the top-10 nationally in ground balls per game with 3.21 (Seventh in the country).
The Owls are coached by Bonnie Rosen, who is in her 18th season at Temple. She has a 157-142 record, leading the Owls to a winning record in four of the last five seasons.
Gators Spread the Love
Overall on the season, the Gators do not have a player who ranks in the top 100 in goals per game nationally, but they lead the country as a team, in goals per game (18.31), points per game (27.62), and rank third in assists per game (9.31). 10 or more players have scored in 10 different games this season, accounting for eight games of 20 or more goals as a team. Hall leads the team in points with 78, on 36 goals and 42 assists, while Pavinelli leads the team in goals with 37.
Fast Starting Florida
Florida has scored first in 15 of their 16 games this season, outscoring teams by a +4.06 margin in the first quarter. Overall the Gators have outscored their opponent 103-38 in the first quarter, and have led after all 16 of them.
Do Not Enter
Both goalkeepers have been able to get it done protecting the cage this season. Finnelle and Taylor Grollman are tied at the top of the AAC leaderboard in average goals against, as both are allowing just 8.59 goals per game. FInnelle is coming off two consecutive AAC Goalkeeper of the Week honors, and leads the AAC in save percentage at .551, while saving 92 shots on the season. Grollman ranks third in the conference with a .477 save percentage, totaling 118 saves overall.
Key Notes
- The Gators own a 133-23 overall record at home, currently winning their last 15 regular season home games
- Florida is 30-1 overall in AAC play, and undefeated at home
- Both teams rank top-15 nationally in scoring defense (Florida, fifth at 8.12 goals per game) and (Temple, 14th at 8.86 goals per game)
- While the Gators rank first nationally in scoring offense, the Owls rank 85th at 10.64 goals per game
- Temple ranks third in the country in caused turnovers per game (12.71), and fourth in ground balls per game (22.21)
Milestone Watching
- Liz Harrison is one draw control away from 400 career draw controls
- Amanda O'Leary is four wins away from 400 career wins
- Ashley Gonzalez is one assists away from passing Sammi Burgess for fourth all-time
- Madison Waters is four goals away from 100 career goals
- Maggi Hall is five assists away from passing Brianna Harris for most assists in a single season
- Hannah Heller is six ground balls and nine draw controls away from 100 for her career
- Paisley Eagan is eight goals away from 100 for her career
Active Streaks (eight games or better)
Watch No. 10 Florida take on Temple on ESPN+
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For more information, click here for game notes
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