TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 10 University of Tampa women’s lacrosse team is set to open SSC competition hosting No. 3 Florida Southern on Wednesday, March 27^th, at 7:30 p.m.

The Matchup: No. 10 University of Tampa (6-2, SSC 0-0) vs. No. 3 Florida Southern College (8-1, SSC 1-0) 
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 27^that 7:30 p.m.
Location: Naimoli Family Intramural and Athletic Complex | Tampa, Fla.

Last Time Out: The University of Tampa Spartans defeated the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers by a final score of 15-5. In the contest, Tampa newcomer, Kristyn Staley, led the Spartans in points, logging three goals and three assists on the day. Junior Carly Vaccaro also helped power Tampa’s offense with four goals to her name, while senior captain, Caroline Forester, also had three goals for UT. Claire Swanson led the Spartans in draw controls, caused turnovers, and groundballs, with seven, three, and four respectively. The Cheyenne, Wyoming native also had two goals in the contest. Bridget Sutter logged the entire 60 minutes in the cage for the Spartans. Sutter faced 19 shots, and recorded 14 saves. 

About the Spartans: Tampa is currently 6-2 overall, 0-0 in the SSC. In 2018 they finished with an overall record of 12-6, marking the best finish in program history. The firsts continued as the season progressed and Tampa battled into the national rankings, climbing as high as No. 15 (3/19/18). When conference accolades were announced, head coach Kelly Gallagher was named the 2018 Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year, while Rachel Crawford, Alexa Scudillo, and Bridget Sutter were named All-SSC first team, and Claire Swanson was named All-SSC second team. Sutter also received the 2018 Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year honor. This season, the Spartans have picked up right where they left off. Now No. 10 for the third week in a row, according to the latest IWLCA coaches poll. This is the highest ranking for the Spartans in program history. Tampa is lucky to return all of the players listed above in addition to Caroline Forester, who led the Spartans in goals last year with 36, and is currently second in goals on the all-time scoring list for Tampa with 82 goals to her name. Junior Maggie Gladden also returns as one of the Spartans greatest threats. In her junior campaign,Gladden has stated 16 goals, five assists, eight groundballs, two draw controls, and five caused turnovers. Additionally, the program has brought in 10 fresh faces, six freshmen and four transfers. Of the newcomers, offensively, Kristyn Staley and Lizzie Pierpont have made an immediate impact. The two have 20 and 10 goals respectively, and are second and sixth on the team in goals this season. On defense, freshman Danielle Waters has stepped up big for UT. Waters is fourth on the team in both groundballs and fifth in caused turnovers with 14 and six respectively.  

About the Moccasins: The Moccasins are currently third in the nation according to the most recent IWLCA coaches poll, as announced by the association office, Monday, March 25. Florida Southern has consistently been one of the best Division II women’s lacrosse program’s in the nation, and have lost in the national championship game the past two seasons. This year, the Moccasins are 8-1 overall, with their only loss coming from Adelphi on February 24^th. FSC has a very evenly dispersed offense. Currently, four Moccasins have 16 goals, and two have 15. However, the Moccasins two leading point scorers are #34 Grace Glinecki and #6 Sarah Grady who have 27 and 26 points respectively. Defensively, the Mocs are led by the upperclassmen #23 Sam Keesey and #27 Sara Tomasello. Keesey has 19 caused turnovers and 16 groundballs, while Tomasello has stated 13 caused turnovers and 10 groundballs. FSC has used all three of their goalkeepers at various times throughout the season. However, freshman Patricia Werker has recorded the most minutes. Werker sits with 29 saves and a goals against average of 6.61.

Series History (Women’s): The Spartans have never defeated the Moccasins. FSC leads UT in the all-time series 7-0.