GAINESVILLE, Fla. -No. 2 Florida lacrosse is set for another top-10 matchup on Saturday as it heads to No. 10/9 Penn State. Opening draw is set for 12 p.m. at Penn State Lacrosse Field.
The reigning ALC champion Gators hold a 13-0 record and are 1-0 in American Lacrosse Conference play, coming off a 13-7 win over Ohio State last Saturday at Dizney Stadium. UF used 10 second half goals from seniors Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.), Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) and sophomore Shannon Gilroy to secure its 11th straight conference victory and 24th regular season win.
Cullen leads the Gators with 39 points on the season (29 goals, 10 assists) while Gilroy leads with 34 goals and 25 draw controls. As an offense, UF is second in the country in scoring margin (9.00 gpg.), second in points (259) and sixth in scoring offense (14.77 gpg.). The UF defense is also one of the best in the nation, ranking second in scoring defense and allowing just 5.77 goals per game.
Senior defender Emily Dohony (Parkton, Md.) leads the defense with 20 ground balls while senior defender Sam Farrell (Millersville, Md.) has recorded a team-high 13 caused turnovers.
Florida also boasts two of this week's ALC Players of the Week as Gilroy and senior defender Kayla Stolins (Glen Arm, Md.) picked up offensive and defensive honors, respectively.
Penn State (6-3, 1-0) is coming off a two-straight wins over ALC foe Vanderbilt (Mar. 17) and Drexel (Mar. 22). The Lions are led by sophomore attack Maggie McCormick with a team-high 41 points on 24 goals and 17 assists. Six players including McCormick lead with double-digit goals this season including junior attack Mackenzie Cyr (20 goals, 12 assists) and sophomore midfielder Tatum Coffey (13 goals).
Senior defender Katie Guy has grabbed a season-high 26 draw controls and forced 14 caused turnovers while Kelly Lechner leads with 29 draw controls. Goalie Emi Smith has started all nine games for Penn State this season, recording 60 saves for a .405 save percentage.
The Orange and Blue hold a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series with the teams meeting twice last season. The Gators defeated the Lions, 20-11, at Dizney Stadium in regular season action. Florida would end Penn State's season in the NCAA second round in a 15-2 decision in Gainesville.
