No. 8 Florida Gators lacrosse travels to take on No. 1 North Carolina

Special report on the Florida Gators lacrosse team:

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The eighth-ranked Florida lacrosse team hits the road to face the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday, Feb. 19.

Opening draw is set for 12 p.m. at Dorrance Field on the ACC Network Extra.

The Gators are coming off a 14-7 victory over Louisville in the opening week of the 2021 season, while UNC topped No. 6 Stony Brook also by a score of 14-7 in its season opener.

No. 8 Florida at No. 1 North Carolina Live Stream<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3D41e68b57-2Df747-2D4a26-2Db8fc-2D310e4266a733&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=_v8BlHSzSAVQQN65oXGVC361nDQtryVXq7_PNCiyzmw&s=q2bxXL5pdlOJn_ysni6xkU7hOdxsLszgZ-bgBf_ClXU&e= >

This is the 13th meeting between the Gators and the Tar Heels, with North Carolina holding the 9-3 series advantage. Although, all three of Florida’s wins have come in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Scouting the Tar Heels

  *   The North Carolina Tar Heels enter Friday’s game ranked first in the nation and are coming off a 14-7 victory over No. 6 Stony Brook
  *   One game into the season, Tayler Warehime leads the scoring with four goals, while Jamie Ortega is right behind with three goals. Katie Hoag and Scottie Rose Growney follow with two apiece
  *   Hoag also leads the way with five assists through the first game, while Ortega and Growney each have two apiece
  *   Growney, Elizabeth Hillman and Emma Trenchard lead the way in the draw circle, with each recording three draw controls in the first game
  *   Defender Caroline Wakefield anchored the defense, recording three caused turnovers
  *   In the cage, Taylor Moreno registered 10 saves and seven goals against during her 60 minutes of play
Preseason Accolades

  *   The Gators were picked as the No. 8 team in the nation in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Preseason Poll
  *   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
  *   Kavanagh and Trombetta earned Inside Lacrosse Division I Preseason All-America honors (Trombetta – First Team; Kavanagh – Second Team). Harris and Reznick earned Inside Lacrosse Division I Preseason Honorable Mention All-America honors
  *   Kavanagh and Trombetta were tabbed as US Lacrosse Magazine All-Americans, selected as two members of the 13-player First Team squad
Familial Ties

  *   Florida freshman Maggi Hall will be facing off against her sister Gabi Hall on Friday
  *   Gabi Hall is a redshirt sophomore defender for the Tar Heels. As a freshman in 2019, Hall saw action in seven games off the bench
  *   The younger of the two sisters, Maggi, racked up two goals in her first collegiate game (at Louisville)

No. 8 Florida at No. 1 North Carolina Broadcast Information
Time & Date: Friday, Feb. 19 | 12 p.m.
Live Stream: ACC Network Extra<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.espn.com_watch_player-3Fid-3D41e68b57-2Df747-2D4a26-2Db8fc-2D310e4266a733&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=_v8BlHSzSAVQQN65oXGVC361nDQtryVXq7_PNCiyzmw&s=q2bxXL5pdlOJn_ysni6xkU7hOdxsLszgZ-bgBf_ClXU&e= >
Live Stats: Statbroadcast<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__stats.statbroadcast.com_statmonitr_-3Fid-3D333917&d=DwIFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=o5LKAX7slotfFMyE71jI7L22NYBIi1-KbRGNSXudTPo&m=_v8BlHSzSAVQQN65oXGVC361nDQtryVXq7_PNCiyzmw&s=Hkc2Vk2mBrgh_mCgY0l9Hky6sAJkF6BBh2ErVHMIihg&e= >

Series Information – No. 8 Florida at No. 1 North Carolina
Tar Heels | 2021 season: 1-0, 0-0 ACC

  *   This is the 13th meeting between the Gators and the Tar Heels
  *   North Carolina holds the 9-3 series advantage
  *   Home: 0-3 | Away: 3-6 | Neutral: 0-0
  *   Last Meeting: May 12, 2019 | Chapel Hill, N.C. | L, 11-15 (NCAA Tournament Second Round)

Quick Facts

  *   Grace Haus is looking to become the 13th Gator to record 100 career goals – she currently sits at 92
  *   Amanda O’Leary is the sixth winningest active Division I coach with her .751 winning percentage in 26 seasons (331-110)
  *   O’Leary has the fourth most wins of active Division I coaches with 331 and is 169-45 (.790) at Florida
  *   When scoring at least 14 goals, the Gators are 134-2 (.985) in program history
  *   Over the last five seasons, Florida has gone 25-16 against teams ranked in the IWLCA Top-25
  *   Since 2011, Florida has the third-most wins (159) of any Division I women’s lacrosse team

  *   Streaking: Brianna Harris has recorded an assist in 10-straight games, the second-longest streak in program history (Record – 19 games, Sammi Burgess)
  *   Streaking: Kavanagh’s 28 consecutive games with a goal is the fourth-longest streak in program history (Record – 40 games, Shayna Pirreca)
  *   Streaking: Kavanagh currently holds the record for most consecutive games with a draw control (43)

Follow the Gators:

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Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.