Temple University Athletics
Friday, March 19
Philadelphia, Pa.
3:00 P.M.
Temple University
vs
#11/#11 Florida
Photo by: Zamani Feelings
No. 25/20 Lacrosse to Host No. 11/11 Florida in Ranked Matchups
3.18.21 | Women's Lacrosse
PHILADELPHIA- After a tight win over Saint Joseph's Saturday, the Temple lacrosse team will begin their conference schedule with a pair of games against the No. 11 Florida Gators. The games will begin at 3 PM on Friday and Noon on Sunday, both matches will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Temple won both games they played last week. The Owls defeated then No. 12/11 ranked Towson on Wednesday, then won an overtime thriller against Saint Joseph's Saturday to earn national rankings from both major polls.
> Belle Mastropietro leads the team in goals with 16. Against Saint Joseph's she put in a couple of key goals in the last ten minutes to give the Owls the lead.
> Meghan Hoffman has been on fire. Last week she set a new career-high with five goals against Towson, then followed that up with four assists against Saint Joseph's. She currently ranks third in Division-I with 3.2 assists per game. Her performances earned her AAC Attack Player of the Week.
> After getting pulled against Drexel, Shana Hecht has responded with two of the best performances of her career. The Sacred Heart transfer set career-highs in saves in both of the games last week. Her 10 saves set a career-high against Towson, she then set another career-high four days later against Saint Joseph's with 11. She earned AAC Defensive Player of the Week awards for her efforts.
LAST TIME OUT: TEMPLE 11, vs SAINT JOSEPH'S 10 (2OT)
> Temple defeated the Saint Joseph's Hawks 11-10 in overtime to earn their first overtime win since 2018.
> The game was close from wire to wire, with no team gaining a bigger lead than three goals.
> The Hawks scored with 1:19 left on the clock to send the game into overtime. In the second overtime, Kara Nakrasius scored the game-winning goal off a free possession opportunity.
> Jackie Cerchio had one of the best performances of her Temple career. She tied her career-high with three goals and added an assist as well. Shana Hecht also starred, setting a new career-high in saves.
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SCOUTING FLORIDA
> The Florida Gators have been one of the most successful programs in Women's Lacrosse since starting up in 2010. They have won six straight conference titles in the BIG EAST/AAC.
> The Gators are led by senior midfielder Shannon Kavanagh. Kavanagh leads the team in goals, points, and draw controls. She has earned several accolades during her career with the Gators, including being named an All-American in 2020 by several major publications.
> Florida is led by Temple lacrosse alumni Amanda O'Leary. O'Leary was an All-American with the Owls and a member of the 1988 national title team. Excluding her first season, she has had the Gators ranked no lower than 13 in the final poll every year during her tenure.
SERIES HISTORY
> Florida and Temple are meeting for the 10th time in series history. Temple has never defeated the Gators, with an all-time record of 0-9.
> The teams last met in 2019, with Florida winning 15-8.
> The two squads have been conference opponents since 2015 when Florida joined the BIG EAST. In 2019 both programs moved to the American.
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SCOUTING TEMPLE
> Temple won both games they played last week. The Owls defeated then No. 12/11 ranked Towson on Wednesday, then won an overtime thriller against Saint Joseph's Saturday to earn national rankings from both major polls.
> Belle Mastropietro leads the team in goals with 16. Against Saint Joseph's she put in a couple of key goals in the last ten minutes to give the Owls the lead.
> Meghan Hoffman has been on fire. Last week she set a new career-high with five goals against Towson, then followed that up with four assists against Saint Joseph's. She currently ranks third in Division-I with 3.2 assists per game. Her performances earned her AAC Attack Player of the Week.
> After getting pulled against Drexel, Shana Hecht has responded with two of the best performances of her career. The Sacred Heart transfer set career-highs in saves in both of the games last week. Her 10 saves set a career-high against Towson, she then set another career-high four days later against Saint Joseph's with 11. She earned AAC Defensive Player of the Week awards for her efforts.
LAST TIME OUT: TEMPLE 11, vs SAINT JOSEPH'S 10 (2OT)
> Temple defeated the Saint Joseph's Hawks 11-10 in overtime to earn their first overtime win since 2018.
> The game was close from wire to wire, with no team gaining a bigger lead than three goals.
> The Hawks scored with 1:19 left on the clock to send the game into overtime. In the second overtime, Kara Nakrasius scored the game-winning goal off a free possession opportunity.
> Jackie Cerchio had one of the best performances of her Temple career. She tied her career-high with three goals and added an assist as well. Shana Hecht also starred, setting a new career-high in saves.
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SCOUTING FLORIDA
> The Florida Gators have been one of the most successful programs in Women's Lacrosse since starting up in 2010. They have won six straight conference titles in the BIG EAST/AAC.
> The Gators are led by senior midfielder Shannon Kavanagh. Kavanagh leads the team in goals, points, and draw controls. She has earned several accolades during her career with the Gators, including being named an All-American in 2020 by several major publications.
> Florida is led by Temple lacrosse alumni Amanda O'Leary. O'Leary was an All-American with the Owls and a member of the 1988 national title team. Excluding her first season, she has had the Gators ranked no lower than 13 in the final poll every year during her tenure.
SERIES HISTORY
> Florida and Temple are meeting for the 10th time in series history. Temple has never defeated the Gators, with an all-time record of 0-9.
> The teams last met in 2019, with Florida winning 15-8.
> The two squads have been conference opponents since 2015 when Florida joined the BIG EAST. In 2019 both programs moved to the American.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Lacrosse
GK
/ Women's Lacrosse
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/ Women's Lacrosse
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/ Women's Lacrosse
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