The most anticipated regular-season game is here.
Florida’s biggest rival in the American Lacrosse Conference, Northwestern, will be the opponent in UF’s final game of the regular season on Saturday in Evanston, Ill.
No. 5 Northwestern (9-4, 3-2 ALC) is No. 4 Florida’s (14-2, 5-0 ALC) final obstacle in completing the season undefeated in conference play.
In Florida’s 14-9 win over Vanderbilt on Sunday, the Gators clinched the No. 1 seed in the ALC Tournament.
If it beats Northwestern, UF won’t just be the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament but will also finish out the regular season with a 15-2 record — an impressive feat for a team that lost several key players when its inaugural class graduated after last season.
However, O’Leary isn’t concerned with staying undefeated. With the No. 1 seed already clinched, her focus is on finishing the season strong and entering the tournament on a high note.
“Ultimately, this game is all about us playing Northwestern and it’s not about what the ramifications are if we lose,” O’Leary said.
Freshman Sammi Burgess said the offense would have to make fast-break points to have a chance against Northwestern, and O’Leary agrees.
“It’s important that we actually get up and down the field because we do have good speed on our team, so we want to capitalize on one more man-up to make those opportunities happen for us,” O’Leary said.
Burgess, freshman midfielder Mollie Stevens and sophomore midfielder Devon Schneider capitalized on multiple fast-break opportunities against Vanderbilt, scoring six goals on fast breaks.
The success on fast-break points against Vanderbilt was good practice for Florida because the Commodores’ style of play is similar to Northwestern’s, O’Leary said.
“I think when teams slow the ball down against us, it’s our defense that needs to adjust and I don’t think that we did a tremendous job defensively against it,” O’Leary said.
“I thought we were too focused on our single players and not as a unit as a whole.”
Florida has faced Northwestern every year since the program began play in 2010.
The Gators are 3-1 in the series, but the Wildcats have made the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament each of the last four seasons and have won two titles in that span. They have seven NCAA Championships since 2005.
While the Gators have a historical advantage over the Wildcats, the team’s two losses this season have come while on the road. Last season’s loss in the ALC Tournament — the first loss to Northwestern in Florida’s history — was at the neutral Homewood Field in Baltimore.
O’Leary has emphasized Florida’s pace all season, and now that it’s down to the final game of the season, UF has to come out dictating the pace or the defense could be swallowed up by the Wildcats’ relaxed offense.
“Northwestern typically comes out in a methodical, kind of slow-paced offense,” O’Leary said.
“They work very hard for that perfect shot and they get that perfect shot because they wear down the defense.”
Follow Eden Otero on Twitter @edenotero_l
Sammi Burgess (2) drives toward the net during Florida’s 21-5 win against Jacksonville on Feb. 12 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Burgess scored four goals against Vanderbilt on Sunday.
