Three years, three flights and three losses.
The Florida lacrosse program has achieved many milestones in its few years. Last season, the Gators had their best season to date, winning the American Lacrosse Conference championship and reaching the Final Four. Beating North Carolina, though, is a feat Florida has not yet accomplished.
The No. 3 Gators open the season against the fifth-ranked Tar Heels on Saturday at noon in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Three previous meetings with North Carolina have ended in defeat for Florida: 18-5 in 2010, 10-9 in overtime in 2011 and 11-9 in 2012. As the Gators begin another season, they hope to achieve a different result against the Tar Heels.
“Our team slogan this year … is 'unfinished business,’” senior attacker Kitty Cullen said. “(North) Carolina is definitely a team that we have a lot of unfinished business with since the last three years they have been the first game of the season, and we haven't been successful yet.”
In her last two games against the Tar Heels, Cullen has stood out. She scored seven of UF's 18 goals against UNC. But for Cullen, only the end result matters. A win against North Carolina would be huge for the team, especially the seniors.
Florida coach Amanda O’Leary said that her heart goes out to this senior class, considering it was the original recruiting class for the Florida program. Ending their streak of bad luck against the Tar Heels would be more than just another victory.
“It's something that our seniors want to do,” O’Leary said. “I think they feel like they need to do this to move forward.”
If UF intends to take down UNC, stopping the Tar Heels' Abbey Friend and Kara Cannizzaro is a priority. In two games against the Gators, the duo has combined for 10 goals.
"We are definitely going to have a couple of our strong defenders on both of them,” sophomore midfielder Nicole Graziano said. “Our defense is pretty strong as a core, so even if one of them gets beat, we always will have each other's backs.”
Graziano, Cullen and the rest of the Gators are using the past for motivation. In 2013, UF's young lacrosse program hopes to leave Chapel Hill with another first — a win against UNC.
“We've been preparing for this game and the result will be, hopefully, a little different this year,” O’Leary said.
Lacrosse coach Amanda O’Leary walks off the field with junior Haydon Judge during halftime of a game against Dartmouth on March 20. O’Leary and the Gators beat Stony Brook 16-9 on Wednesday afternoon.
