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For the first time, Jaime Reeg was recognized on the street as a
Gators lacrosse player.
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Not by friends, not by familiar classmates, but simply, by a
fan.
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"You're one of the lacrosse girls right?" a passerby asked. "Good
game last night."
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The sophomore midfielder has seen firsthand the growth of support
around Gainesville for No. 2 Florida (15-1, 5-0 America Lacrosse
Conference) -most noticeably in the stands- as the season has
progressed.
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Just 687 people, not even half of Dizney Stadium's capacity, showed
up for the then unranked Gators' home opener against Denver on Feb.
20. Two weeks ago, a crowd of 1,518 packed the same complex to
watch a two-goal win over then No. 2 Northwestern.
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"It's great since we're doing really good, more and more people are
getting into the sport of lacrosse here, so it's awesome to see
more people in the crowd," Reeg said.
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However, the victory over the Wildcats was Florida's last scheduled
home game, and possibly, the last time Gainesville residents have
the opportunity to see the team live until the fall.
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This Sunday at noon, the team faces its second consecutive road
test against Cornell (5-8, 3-4 Ivy League) in Ithaca, N.Y.,
following a two-week hiatus from competition.
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Four days later is the ALC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., which
precedes the first round of the NCAA Tournament starting May 14-15.
Florida has put in a bid to host an opening round contest if it is
selected into the field of 16, but the Gators will likely need an
ALC championship to receive it.
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"I think it's exciting for the players, and I think it's exciting
for the coaching staff to look up in the stands and see a packed
house," UF coach Amanda O'Leary said. "It's certainly an incentive
to play harder and play well in front of your home crowd. I don't
know if it's disappointing, but I know it's something we
appreciate."
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With an impending slate of away games though, O'Leary said she has
been using tough practices to keep her team focused and motivated.
The Gators are rather inexperienced playing on the road, as just
four of their 16 games this year have been played in opponents
stadiums.
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Florida has won its away games by an average of 4.25 goals and has
one loss. At home, the Gators are undefeated and have beaten
opponents by 7.18 points per game.
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"Last year, we struggled a little bit on the road, because it was
such a new experience for all of them," O'Leary said. "I feel like
we're becoming better at being on the road and playing road games.
So I'm not as nervous about being on the road for those."
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The Big Red, who are coming off a 13-9 loss to No. 18 Syracuse,
have a losing record at home and usually attract only 134
spectators to Schoellkopf Field for each contest.
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Sophomore Brittany Dashiell, who scored a last minute game-winner
in the April 17 Vanderbilt game, said the matchup should provide a
good tune up for Florida, along with a chance for the team's second
string and back ups to get substantial playing time for the first
time in five games.
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"We're just focusing right now on making sure we come out and play
our best and finish off the season strong," she said. "Hopefully,
we go out there and beat them by 10 goals, but I guess we'll see on
Sunday."
