Florida is predicted to finish second in the American Lacrosse Conference, as voted by the conference coaches.
UF's
returning All-Americans and 2011 First-Team All-ALC selections Kitty
Cullen, Ashley Bruns and Sam Farrell were all named as ALC Players to
Watch.
The
defending ALC and NCAA Tournament champion Northwestern Wildcats,
ranked No. 1 in all three national preseason polls, were unanimously
picked to finish first. Northwestern went 21-2 in 2011, dropping ALC
regular-season games to Florida and Johns Hopkins, en route to a
second-place regular-season ALC finish. They then were perfect in the
postseason, defeating UF, 10-9, in the ALC Championship and winning
their sixth national championship in seven years, downing Maryland, 8-7,
in the NCAA finals.
The
Wildcats had a league-leading four players named to the ALC watchlist,
2011 Tewaaraton Award winner Shannon Smith, IWLCA Defender of the Year
Taylor Thornton, Third-Team All-American Alex Frank and ALC
All-Tournament midfielder Alyssa Leonard.
The
Gators, ranked No. 4 in the IWLCA Preseason poll, open the season
Saturday at No. 3 North Carolina in a rematch of the 2011 season-opening
overtime thriller. Florida, who is 0-2 against the Tar Heels, will be
looking for its first-ever defeat of an ACC team, after dropping its
NCAA Quarterfinal game to No. 5 Duke in the final competition of 2011.
Opening draw is set for noon.
