Special report on the Florida Gators lacrosse team:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Redshirt senior Nicole Graziano put up four goals and was scrappy defensively with a career-high five caused turnovers to help guide the No. 2 and undefeated Gators to a 15-7 victory over No. 17 Towson Monday evening at The Diz.
Florida served the Tigers (6-1) their first loss of the season while moving to 9-0 on the year as one of four undefeated teams remaining in the country. Another undefeated squad in No. 1 Maryland (5-0) will visit Gainesville this Saturday, March 19, for a noon showdown. The Gators moved to 6-0 at home this year and 6-0 against ranked foes on the campaign — the Towson tilt marked the third in a stretch of four straight top-20 clashes for the Orange and Blue.
Junior Sammi Burgess scored a team and season-high five points on three goals with two assists, and freshman Haley Hicklen put on a clinic in the cage, facing 11 shots and racking up a career high five saves on the evening. Seven Gators found the back of the net against the Tigers, started by senior Devon Schneider.
Florida worked its way to a 6-1 lead before Towson scored four straight goals, two from Carly Tellekamp, to close the gap 6-5 with 16:02 remaining in the first. The Orange and Blue were persistent though, using a 3-1 run to close out the opening half with scores from Lauren Lea, Shayna Pirreca and Graziano for a 9-6 advantage at the half.
After outscoring Boston College 7-1 in the second period Friday, it was déjà vu Monday as Florida put up six goals to Towson’s one in the final half of play for the 15-7 final.
Florida has another tall order Saturday when No. 1 Maryland comes to town. Opening draw is slated for noon from Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
THE RECORDS
No. 3 Florida: 9-0
No. 17 Towson: 6-1
NUMBERS OF NOTE
65: wins for Florida all-time at The Diz with the 15-7 victory over Towson. The Gators are 6-0 at home, 3-0 on the road so far in 2016
14: draw controls for the Gators, who won the battle Monday against the Tigers (10)
13: consecutive games with a point for junior Sammi Burgess, who led UF with a season-high five points
6: ranked wins for the Orange and Blue on the season. The Gators own two top-five wins, three top-10 wins, five top-15 wins and six top-20 victories this season. Florida will play its seventh ranked clash Saturday against No. 1 Maryland
5: career-high saves for freshman Haley Hicklen, who limited Towson to two goals in 41:30 minutes of play
4: Gators with multiple-goal outings against the Tigers: Nicole Graziano (4), Sammi Burgess (3), Shayna Pirreca (3) and Lauren Lea (2), Lea with a season-tying outing Monday
4: Undefeated teams in the nation as of Monday: Florida (9-0), Cornell (5-0), Maryland (5-0), USC (5-0)
4: games senior Nicole Graziano has registered four or more draw controls this season. Graziano picked up four against Towson after scooping four versus No. 14 BC and five in UF’s win at No. 10 Stony Brook last Sunday. She also scooped up four against Dartmouth. Junior defender Caroline Fitzgerald also shined on the draw with a career-high controls herself
O’LEARY ANALYSIS
“I thought we started off really strong, got some draws and made some really good transition goals. I’m really pleased with our start. Giving up four straight goals is something we need to work on, but credit Towson for coming in with a great offensive game plan and a great defensive game plan. We knew that it was going to be a tough game and we anticipated that they would eventually go on a run and they did. In the second half we came out of the locker room and scored some good goals and did our job defensively.”
UP NEXT
Next Saturday’s (March 19) noon showdown at The Diz will feature No. 1 Maryland vs. No. 2 Florida as the Gators take on their seventh ranked foe this season, fourth in a row. The Gators and Terps will meet for just the second time ever and the first time in Gainesville, with the first meeting last spring in College Park.
NO. 2 FLORIDA VS. NO. 1 MARYLAND SERIES HISTORY
Maryland 2016 Record: 5-0 (also defeated UNC: 8-7 at Chapel Hill and Syracuse: 14-9 in Syracuse)
Series History: Maryland leads, 1-0
Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-1 | Neutral: 0-0
Last Time Out: March 14, 2015 at College Park | W, 16-6