The No. 17 Florida lacrosse team, looking to bounce back from their overtime loss to No. 3 North Carolina, takes on in-state opponent Jacksonville at Ashley Sports Complex tonight. Opening draw is set for 7:30 p.m.
Sophomore Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.) looks to capitalize on a strong showing against Tar Heels, as she scored four goals on seven shots on Saturday. Cullen also had four goals against the Dolphins in their previous meeting during the fall season, a 23-5 rout at Dizney Stadium. Junior Caroline Cochran (Annapolis, Md.) and sophomores Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) and Caroline Chesterman (South Nyack, N.Y.) added four goals apiece. Bruns also led the Gators with four assists.
The Gators and the Dolphins also met in 2010, as their matchup opened the inaugural season for the University of Florida. In front of a record crowd of 2,114 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium on February 20, 2010, the Gators took the field against Jacksonville and came away with a 16-6 victory in the program’s inaugural game. Bruns once again led the Gators with four goals and four assists.
Now both in their second seasons, Florida and Jacksonville have improved since that first meeting. The Dolphins are coming off an 18-10 victory over Cincinnati behind freshman Jen Cosgrove, who was named WomensLax.com Rookie of the Week. Junior attacker Sarah Michel notched her second career hat trick and has scored in four straight games leading into tonight’s contest.
Jacksonville had two players named NLC All-Conference last spring, as junior defender Jess Hotchkiss was named to the NLC First-Team All-Conference, while sophomore goalkeeper Karli Tobin was named NLC Second-Team All-Conference. The Dolphins return 13 letterwinners and six starters from their inaugural season.
