Spartans Set to Host Seton Hill Griffins
The No. 23 Tampa women's lacrosse team will host the Seton Hill Griffins for their second game of the week.
TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 23 University of Tampa women's lacrosse team is set to host the Seton Hill Griffins on Wednesday, March 7th at 7:00 p.m.
The Matchup: University of Tampa (3-2) vs. Seton Hill University (1-1)
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 7th at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Naimoli Family Intramural and Athletic Complex | Tampa, Fla.
Last Time Out: The Spartans pioneered their way to victory against Tusculum College 18-6. On offense, both Caroline Forester and Graeme Eber earned hat tricks for the Spartans. Following these two, were Amanda Rom, Claire Swanson and Allie Popelar who all recorded two goals. Rom was also the assist leader against the Pioneers with four, followed by fellow senior Natalie Carraway with three. Abby Coccagna headed the defensive efforts for the Spartans, stating four ground balls and one caused turnover. Sophomore Claire Swanson won eight draw controls while freshman Bridget Sutter played all 60 minutes in the cage for Tampa, recording six saves.
About the Spartans: Tampa finished the 2017 season with an overall record of 6-11, 1-3 in the Sunshine State Conference. This season, the squad was selected to finish No. 4 in the SSC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll and looks to improve upon last season with the help of eight new freshmen and two new transfers. The Spartans return all three of their players who earned 2017 SSC all-conference honors. These players include sophomore Claire Swanson, junior Abby Coccagna, and senior Amanda Rom. All three were All SSC second-team selections. Swanson, the Cheyenne, Wyo. native, ended her freshman campaign fourth on the team in goals with 21. Additionally, she had two assists, led the team in draw controls with 44, picked up 26 ground balls, and caused 16 turnovers. This season, Swanson sits with eight goals, 17 draw controls, four ground balls, and seven caused turnovers. Coccagna, the defensive standout from Baltimore, Md., led the Spartans in their 2017 run with 20 caused turnovers, in addition to stating 25 ground balls, 14 draw controls, and two goals for UT. In the 2018 season, Coccagna has 10 ground balls, two draw control wins, and three caused turnovers. Rom, the Medina, Ohio native led the Spartans in assists last season with 37, was second on the team in draw controls with 33, had 19 goals, and 13 caused turnovers. In her senior campaign, Rom currently has six goals, leads the team in assists with 10, leads the team in draw control wins with 17 (tied with Swanson), has seven caused turnovers, and four ground balls.
Due to the team's outstanding performance thus far this season, the Spartans have Snagged the No. 23 rank according to the USILA Coaches Poll. This is also the first time in program history that the Spartans have received a ranking.
About the Griffins: The Griffins ended the 2017 season with an overall record of 10-8, 7-5 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. In Seton Hill's season opener against Wheeling Jesuit University, the Griffins defeated the Cardinals by a final score of 19-9. Most recently, the Griffins lost to No. 1 Florida Southern 17-6. In their game against Southern, #8 Katelyn Cressman and #20 Mackenzie Kilduff each recorded two goals for the Griffins. The team's defensive efforts were headed by #5 Hannah Powell who had five ground balls and three caused turnovers for SHU. In the cage, the Griffins used #29 Hailey Jacobs who recorded 15 saves against the No. 1 Moccasins.
Series History (Women's): The Griffins lead the all-time series record over the Spartans 1-0.
Tickets: Tickets for are $5 for adults, senior citizens and coaches. Children under 12 will be admitted free. UT students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid student ID.