No. 14 Florida Keeps Rolling and Tops Temple
from press release
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The No. 14 Florida lacrosse
team, fresh off a 17-10 upset of No. 9 Georgetown on Wednesday
night, downed Temple University, 19-4, on Saturday afternoon at
Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
Eight different Gators scored against the Owls, led by sophomore
midfielder Kitty Cullen’s (Rockville, Md) six points,
including five goals on the afternoon. Cullen now has 32 goals on
the season thus far, eclipsing her 31 goals total in her freshman
campaign.
Sophomore attacker/midfielder Caroline Chesterman (South Nyack,
N.Y.) tied her career-high with four goals on the afternoon while
sophomore attacker Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) had five
points against the Owls (2 G, 3 A). Florida also saw multi-goal
performances by sophomore attacker/midfielder Colby Rhea (Abington,
Md.), redshirt freshman Hayley Katzenberger (Damascus, Md.), who
scored her first goals as a Gator, and freshman midfielder Krista
Grabher (Vero Beach, Fla.) who had two goals against the Owls.
Florida also received valuable points by redshirt freshman Erin
Graziano (Mendham, N.J.), who scored her first-career goal,
sophomore midfielder Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.), whose goal
sparked a nine-goal run in the middle of the contest, and a great
assist by sophomore midfielder/defender Kayla Stolins (Glen Arm,
Md.), who assisted on a Chesterman goal after Stolins caused a
turnover and sprinted past five defenders to find Chesterman open
in front of the net.
The 19 goals by the Gators are the highest output by the Orange and
Blue all season. The Gators haven’t scored that many goals
since March 17, 2010, when Florida defeated Marist, 22-3.
Florida came right out of the gate with Rhea scoring back-to-back
goals in the first three minutes of the contest. Cullen found the
back of the net two minutes later to put the Gators ahead, 3-0.
Temple’s Stephany Parcell scored for Temple before Florida
went on a four-goal run, sparked by Chesterman’s first goal
of the afternoon. The Gators kept the momentum for much of the
half, only allowing two Owls scores in the first half.
Florida used tough defense to halt the Owls time and again, as they
were only able to get off 14 shots through the entire contest,
scoring just four times (.286). The Gator defense had six caused
turnovers on the afternoon and Temple had 13 turnovers in the
second half while only shooting the ball four times. The Gators on
the other hand, came out firing in the second half, scoring 10
goals on 12 shots (.833), including nine-straight from 1:16
remaining in the first half to 14:20 remaining in the second
half.
“We’re not typically a second half team.” Florida
head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “That nine-goal run was
fantastic for us. It really put Temple on their heels a little bit.
I was really proud of those girls coming out of the locker room and
getting the job done.”
The Gators held the Owls scoreless until well into the second half,
continuing the momentum, highlighted by back-to-back scores by
Chesterman and Cullen. Katzenberger scored the first goal of her
career in the 46th minute of the contest, as she cut through the
Temple defense and found the back of the net. Katzenberger scored
again less than four minutes later, as Cullen unselfishly found an
open Katzenberger while Cullen was prepared for a free position
shot.
“It just felt great to be back out there,” Katzenberger
said. “I was out last year (with an injury) and I’m
still just so excited to be back out on the field.”
Grabher notched her second goal of the afternoon with 8:17
remaining on the clock to give the Gators an 18-3 lead. Temple
scored on a free position shot two minutes later but the Gators had
one more answer for the Owls, as Graziano sped up the field and
scored her first collegiate goal with 36 seconds remaining in the
contest.
Sophomore goalkeeper Mikey Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.) played an
unbelievable game, coming up with saves when Temple was able to
penetrate the Gator defense, and forcing the Owls to go 0-for-4 on
free position shots.
Florida has now won six games straight, including five at home. The
Gators are undefeated when scoring in double digits and held its
fourth opponent to single digit scoring this season. The four goals
for Temple were the lowest allowed by the Gators since
Florida’s upset of Johns Hopkins in the ALC Tournament last
year (May 6, 2010).
Florida continues its homestand by taking on Colgate on Tuesday
evening under the lights of Dizney Stadium. Opening draw is set for
6:30 p.m. Florida will be looking to avenge an 11-12 overtime loss
at Colgate last spring. The Gators’ matchup with the Raiders
will be broadcast on www.GatorZone.com and WRUF SportsRadio 850
with Andrew Suarez and Michael Gillespie on the call.
