March 31, 2017
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt Commodores have already faced three ranked opponents this season but are preparing to face their toughest challenge yet this weekend. The Dores will travel to Gainesville to take on No. 3 Florida on Saturday at 11 am CT.
Head coach Cathy Swezey notes that Florida has great team speed and can light up the scoreboard quickly but the Dores won’t shy away from using their team speed come Saturday.
“We are faster than we have been in years past so I am excited about that,” Swezey stated. “We are still going to push the ball on them and try to catch them before they are settled on defense. Beyond that maybe hold the ball a little more on offense and be more patient for the best shot. You have to be careful not to play too much into another team’s game even if they are one of the top teams in the country. We just have to remember who we are and stick to our plan.”
Heading into Saturday’s showdown, the Commodores and Gators rank 1-2 in many categories in the BIG EAST. The Gators lead the conference in goals per game, points per game and shots per game with the Dores right behind them. The Commodores lead the league in turnovers per game and draw controls per game with the Gators closely in second.
The Dores have five players this season that have scored in double-digits. Junior Kayla Peterson leads the team in goals with 26, followed by Julie Blaze (20), Jill Doherty (15), Emily Mathewson (14) and Melanie Becker (11). Doherty leads the team in draw controls (41), assists (18) and ground balls (18). She ranks third in the conference in draw controls per game (5.12) and assists per game (2.25).
Defender Margaret Fee leads the Commodores back-line with 11 caused turnovers and is second on the team in ground balls with 15. In the cage, all three Commodore goalies have seen time this season. Callahan Kent has amassed a 4-2 record with 39 saves and 8.35 goals against average. Lily Argyle has a 1-1 record with 20 saves on the year.
Florida enters the game with six players that have scored in double-figures this season. Shayna Pirreca leads the Gators with 34 goals, followed by Mollie Stevens (33), Lindsey Ronbeck (27), Sydney Pirreca (20), Sammi Burgess (19) and Brianna Harris (10). Burgess leads the team in assists with 22, Shayna Pirreca has a team-high 44 points, while Mollie Stevens is the team leader in draw controls (56), caused turnovers (14) and ground balls (27).
In the cage, the Gators have seen time from three different goaltenders. Haley Hicklen has started all 10 games and earned a 7-2 record with 91 saves and 10.47 goals against average. Olivia Cole has seen game action in five games while Kenzii Kittell has appeared in one game this season.
Saturday’s game will begin at 11 am CT and will be broadcast live on Florida’s Youtube Channel. Fans can follow the action by clicking the here. Stay up to date with all things Vanderbilt Lacrosse by following @VanderbiltLax on Twitter and Vanderbilt Women’s Lacrosse on Facebook.
