Special report on the Florida Gators lacrosse team:
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The No. 11 Florida lacrosse team looks to get back on track in its first American Athletic Conference series, facing the 25th-ranked Temple Owls on Friday/Sunday at Howarth Field.
Friday’s opening draw is set for 4 p.m., while Sunday’s game is slated for a 12 p.m. start. Both games will stream on ESPN+.
No. 11 Florida at No. 25 Temple Live Stream – Friday<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player_-5F_id_d93aaf79-2D23e1-2D4c48-2Daf59-2Dfd17a6ced236-3Fom-2Dnavmethod-3Despn-253Aglobalsearch-253Aresults&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=w8uaGsJVon_LtX_zY_DMiRjdgzsi4D18jSzD12quVRU&s=LYxhtQZZKG169beSU4p0vBhhHWHbt-nDdZ6R2uelN0w&e= >
No. 11 Florida at No. 25 Temple Live Stream – Sunday<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player_-5F_id_934e3132-2D88ed-2D4807-2D888e-2D4875f9f85c90-3Fom-2Dnavmethod-3Despn-253Aglobalsearch-253Aresults&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=w8uaGsJVon_LtX_zY_DMiRjdgzsi4D18jSzD12quVRU&s=1zogWDlhDa1s0_bcmOiYKYHknRF0l04sZMLLSt-SjMI&e= >
Florida’s last game was a tightly-contested 12-11 loss to Jacksonville on March 13, while Temple is coming off a double-overtime win over Saint Joseph’s on Saturday.
The Gators and the Owls are meeting for the 10th time in program history, with Florida holding the 9-0 series advantage. In the last matchup on March 30, 2019, the Gators were victorious 15-8
The American Athletic Conference – now in its third season – has announced a new format for the 2021 season, with each team playing five conference series during league play. The two-game series will take place over the course of three days, with a rest day in between games.
This is the first regular season conference game that the Gators will play in 692 days, which was a win over Cincinnati in Gainesville, Fla. on April 27, 2019. In Florida’s first season as a member of the AAC in 2019, the team went unbeaten in regular season play and won both the regular season conference championship and the tournament championship. No conference games were played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scouting the Owls
* The Temple Owls come into the series with a 4-1 record, with their only loss coming to nationally-ranked Drexel
* Temple appeared in the IWLCA Top-25 Poll for the first time in 2021 this week, sitting at No. 25
* The Gators own the 9-0 series advantage over the Owls, winning the last contest 15-8 on March 30, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pa.
* Through the first five games, Belle Mastropietro leads the way offensively with 16 goals, followed by Meghan Hoffman, who has netted 10 on the season, to go along with a team-high 16 assists. 10 other Owls have found the back of the net this season, including four players with 5+ goals
* Kara Nakrasius and Mastropietro control the draw circle for Temple, coming up with 27 and 20 draws, respectively. Bridget Whitaker has also recorded 18 draws this season Defensively, the Owls are averaging 10.60 caused turnovers per game, led by 14 from Courtney Taylor
* Shana Hecht has seen a majority of the minutes in the cage for Temple, recording 31 saves in 266:50. She has a .456 save percentage to go along with a 8.32 goals against average and has allowed 37 goals this season
Preseason AAC Accolades
* Florida swept the four major Preseason American Athletic Awards: Brianna Harris was named Attacker of the Year, Shannon Kavanagh was named Midfielder of the Year, Cara Trombetta was named Defensive Player of the Year and Sarah Reznick was named Goalkeeper of the Year
* Six Gators were named Preseason All-AAC selections: Kaitlyn Dabkowski, Brianna Harris, Grace Haus, Shannon Kavanagh, Sarah Reznick and Cara Trombetta
No. 11 Florida at No. 25 Temple Broadcast Information – March 19
Time & Date: Friday, March 19 | 3 p.m.
Live Stream: ESPN+<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player_-5F_id_d93aaf79-2D23e1-2D4c48-2Daf59-2Dfd17a6ced236-3Fom-2Dnavmethod-3Despn-253Aglobalsearch-253Aresults&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=w8uaGsJVon_LtX_zY_DMiRjdgzsi4D18jSzD12quVRU&s=LYxhtQZZKG169beSU4p0vBhhHWHbt-nDdZ6R2uelN0w&e= >
Live Stats: Statbroadcast<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__stats.statbroadcast.com_statmonitr_-3Fid-3D332563&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=w8uaGsJVon_LtX_zY_DMiRjdgzsi4D18jSzD12quVRU&s=Da6Ng4OUbTErq8dz0n_l7AqhmhKjmWDQy_06VzBrUdU&e= >
No. 11 Florida at No. 25 Temple Broadcast Information – March 21
Time & Date: Sunday, March 21 | 12 p.m.