Battle of Ranked Teams Set for Saturday Against No. 2 Florida

GAME 5
No. 13/13 Dartmouth (4-0, 1-0 Ivy) vs. No. 2/2 Florida (8-0, 0-0 ALC)
▶ Saturday, Mar. 9, 2013 ▶ 12 PM ▶ Hanover, N.H.
▶ Scully-Fahey Field (1,600)
▶ All-Time Series: Florida, 1-0 (2nd Meeting)
▶ Last Meeting: Mar. 20, 2012 (Gainesville) - L, 20-4
▶ Streak: 0-1

SATURDAY'S GAME
Fresh off another win Wednesday afternoon at Boston University, the No. 13 Dartmouth women's lacrosse team is back in action this Saturday at home against No. 2 Florida. The opening draw between the Big Green and Gators is set for noon.

LAST TIME OUT
A mid-week tilt saw the Green head to Boston to take on the Terriers Wednesday in some less than stellar weather conditions. Despite the rain, wind and sometime sleeting precipitation, Dartmouth was able to hold on for a 12-7 victory against BU at Nickerson Field.

SCOUTING THE GATORS
Florida makes it first trip to the Granite State and just its second game on the road at an Ivy League opponent (Cornell- 2011) when it takes to the field Saturday in Hanover. Boasting an 8-0 mark this season, the Gators are 4-0 against ranked teams, including three wins coming against programs ranked in the top-10. Kitty Cullen has 22 goals in her first eight games this season and already has 175 in her three-plus seasons in Gainesville. Goalkeeper Mikey Meagher has a 6.12 goals-against average and .523 save percentage this season to help Florida rank as one of the best defensive teams in the nation (7th - 6.29).

THE PREVIOUS MEETING
These two teams met last season inside Dizney Stadium in Gainesville. That contest did not go as planned for the Big Green as they fell, 20-4, on Mar. 20, 2012. Florida scored a program-record 17 first-half goals en route to the victory.

ANOTHER HOT START
Dartmouth is 4-0 for the second straight season after the win in Beantown on Wednesday. In each of the last two years (2011 and 2012), the Green and White have not lost any of its first three contests, a streak that continues this season with the four wins in as many opportunities. Florida snapped Dartmouth's 5-0 start last season, handing the team its first loss of the spring.

DEFEND THIS HOUSE
The Big Green will put its streak of 16 consecutive regular season home victories on the line Saturday against the Gators. The team last lost at home during the regular season on April 17, 2010 (Penn, 9-6). Since then, Dartmouth has posted seasons of 8-0 and 7-0 at Scully Fahey Field.

NOT INTIMIDATED
In each of the last two years, a team ranked in the top-3 in the nation has made the trip to Hanover, only to leave with a loss. In 2011, then-No. 1 Maryland played the Big Green in the regular season finale. An overtime goal from Sarah Parks '12 helped the home team upset the top-ranked Terps, 9-8. Last year (Mar. 17) saw another 9-8 overtime contest end in favor of the Green and White as it knocked off No. 3 Duke with Sarah Plumb '12 scoring 1:17 into the second OT.

THREE AND FOUR
Junior Lindsey Allard matched her career high with three goals, while setting a new personal standard of four points Wednesday against the Terriers. Allard scored all three of her goals in the first half to help Dartmouth jump out to an 8-5 advantage at the intermission.

BIG DAY FOR 50/50 NUMBERS
Senior co-captain Courtney Bennett had the best game of her career in the midfield last time out. She established new career highs in both ground balls (5) and draw controls (6) against the Terriers.

NEARING THE CENTURY MARK
With another three ground balls to her credit against BU, senior Kelsey Johnson now has 13 this season. For her career, the Hingham, Mass., native is approaching 100 ground balls as she currently has 91 in 53 games played.

LEADERS OF THE PACK
Though a balanced attack in 2013, the Big Green's offense has mostly been generated from junior Liz Calby and senior Hana Bowers. With two goals apiece on Wednesday, Bowers has a team-best 11, while Calby has registered 10 this spring. Calby added two assists against BU and leads the team in scoring with 16 points with Bowers just behind in second with 15.

A LOOK AT THE IVY LEAGUE
Dartmouth sits atop the league standings at 1-0, tied with Brown and Cornell. The Big Green's four games played are the most by any Ancient Eight program to this point and has them ahead of both the Bears and Big Red as each is 3-0. Princeton and Penn remain the only two teams yet to play a league game.

YOUNGSTERS
Freshmen Jaclyn Leto and Danielle Lisovicz each picked up tallies against the Terriers in the rain. Leto leads the first-year players with three goals, while Lisovicz has registered two in her first season wearing the Green and White.

SOPHOMORE SCORES TWO
In each of the last two games, sophomore Sarah Byrne has netted a pair of markers for her team. After scoring just once and picking up one assist as a freshman, Byrne is off to a solid start in 2013 with four goals and six points already through four contests.

GAME NOTES

Schedules