GAINESVILLE, Fla. – One day after
winning the 2017 BIG EAST Tournament, the University of Florida women’s lacrosse team received the No. 3 overall seed in the 26-team NCAA Tournament. The Gators have earned a first-round bye and the right to host NCAA First & Second Rounds, along with Quarterfinal action at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
Florida will play host to Southern California and Jacksonville this weekend in Gainesville. The Trojans and Dolphins will play
at 4 p.m. Friday May 12, and the winner will earn a date with the BIG EAST Champion Gators
on Sunday May 14 at 12 p.m.
Ticket Information
Gator Ticket Office |
(352) 375-4683 or
800-344-2867
Adults: $5
Students & Children: $3
Students with a Gator1 ID: FREE
The Gators enter NCAA Tournament play on a nine-game win streak. Florida played both Southern California and Jacksonville during the regular season, beating the Trojans 15-10 at home and earning a 21-14 decision over the Dolphins on the road.
Southern California and Jacksonville each earned automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament, by winning their respective conference tournaments. USC is a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while Jacksonville competes in the A-SUN.
Florida and Jacksonville have met seven times, with the Gators owning a 7-0 edge in the series. The Gators’ tilt in February against USC was the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Florida enters the 2017 NCAA Tournament with a 6-6 record all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
Florida swept both the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles in 2017, and boast the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player (
Mollie Stevens), Attacker of the Year (Stevens), Defensive Player of the Year (
Caroline Fitzgerald), and Goalkeeper of the Year (
Haley Hicklen). The Gators had 10 players named all-conference, and has
three Tewaaraton Award Top-25 Nominees.
Records
No. 3 Florida: 17-2
Southern California: 16-3
Jacksonville: 14-5
Numbers of Note
· 19: The Gators’ school record for wins in a season. UF is two wins away from tying that record in 2017
· 7: Conference championships for Florida in eight seasons (2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014 in the ALC, 2015, 2016, & 2017 in the BIG EAST)
· 5: Florida now has five conference tournament championships in program history (2012 & 2014 in the ALC, 2015, 2016, & 2017 in the BIG EAST)
· 4: NCAA Quarterfinals berths for the Gators since the program, started in 2010 (2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014)
· 1: Final Four berth for the Orange and Blue in 2012
The Top-Eight Seeds
1. Maryland
2. North Carolina
3.
Florida
4. Penn State
5. Princeton
6. Syracuse
7. Penn
8. Stony Brook