The Gators finally have home advantage as they tackle the Cincinnati Bearcats Friday.
This marks the eighth matchup between the two teams. UF boasts a 7-0 record and defeated Cincinnati 15-9 in 2019.
While both foes play in the AAC, Florida is projected to win the conference championship in May. The Gators claim a 109-5 record when they face teams unranked o the IWLCA Top-25 poll.
The orange and blue come off back-to-back conference wins against the Temple Owls March 19 and 21. The Bearcats suffered two nail-biting conference losses to the Vanderbilt Commodores last weekend.
Attacker and midfielder Alyssa Adams and midfielder Kylie Nause lead Cincinnati offensively with 26 goals apiece. Attacker Monica Borzillo trails closely behind with 19 goals and 15 assists.
Shannon Kavanagh faces adversity in her self-proclaimed draw circle as Bearcats midfielder Sam Mlkvy gloats 52 wins.
But the No. 12 Gators possess a roster full of all-conference and all-American selections.
Kavanagh, the AAC Preseason Midfielder of the Year, holds a 34-game goal streak, the second-longest streak in the program’s 12-year history. The Smithtown, New York, native recorded 24 goals this season.
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sarah Reznick registered a ground ball in 11 straight games. The AAC Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year ties for the sixth-longest streak in program history and sports a .539 save percentage.
Similarly,AAC Preseason Co-Defender of the Year Cara Trombetta, tallied 23 ground balls this season. Coach Amanda O’Leary praised the fifth-year senior for her performance on the field last weekend.
“The team had a really solid performance today on both ends of the field,” O’Leary said. “Sarah was terrific in the cage, coming up with some huge saves, while Cara played lights out to anchor our defensive effort.”
Since 2011, Florida has the third-most wins of any Division I women’s lacrosse program with 163. The program looks to stay in the win column this weekend.
The opening draw is set for 4 p.m. at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. The game will stream on the Florida Gators’ YouTube channel.
Contact Karina Wilson at kwilson@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @kk_rinaa
Karina Wilson is a second-year student at the University of Florida within the College of Journalism and Communications with a specialization in sports and media. She aims to produce engaging, accurate and current content for all types of sports fans. Currently, Karina is The Alligator's lacrosse beat writer.
