Florida picked up new confidence from its close 11-13 loss to the No. 5 Georgetown Hoyas in Gainesville Tuesday, but the team will head on the road for its first conference challenge of the season – a matchup against Johns Hopkins on Saturday.
The Gators (3-2) will need to continue with the near flawless play they had in the second half of the Georgetown game – only three turnovers, eight fouls, and two free-position shots – in order to capture their first win in the American Lacrosse Conference and take out the Blue Jays (3-3).
UF coach Amanda O’Leary said going into this weekend’s game, her squad has more confidence because it was able to challenge the Hoyas after having lost so badly to its other top-five opponent this season – North Carolina.
However, O’Leary said the team is still trying to understand what works on the field.
“We’re still learning personnel,” she said. “We’re making subs in and out, and we’re learning who plays well together. It’s certainly a learning experience for the players as well as the coaches.”
The challenge for the Gators as they travel to Baltimore, MD, will be to counter the Blue Jays’ attack.
On the season, Johns Hopkins has losses to the Hoyas, No. 13 Princeton and No. 12 Towson. Its wins came against George Mason, Stony Brook and Harvard.
The squad also boasts two Under Amour All-America honorees, freshman defender Samantha Arbitman and freshman goalkeeper Cosette Larash.
“Hopkins certainly has a long-standing tradition of excellence in lacrosse, both men’s and women’s,” O’Leary said. “They’re a very well coached team. They’re very athletic, very skilled.”
UF may take some added confidence on Saturday in the fact that when the Blue Jays met the Hoyas back on Feb. 24, the Hoyas took a 15-9 victory, having three and four consecutive-goal runs in the second half. Unlike the Blue Jays, the Gators challenged Georgetown, especially in the second half and after the Hoyas went on runs.
The match gets underway at 1 p.m.
