Spartans to Host No. 13 Limestone Saints
After defeating the No. 11 Rollins College Tars, the Spartans look to take down the No. 13 Limestone College Saints.
TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa women's lacrosse team is set to host the No. 13 ranked Limestone College Saints on Saturday, February 17th at 1:00 p.m.
The Matchup: University of Tampa (1-0) vs. Limestone College (1-0)
Date/Time: Saturday, February 10th at 1:00 p.m.
Location: Naimoli Family Intramural and Athletic Complex | Tampa, Fla.
Last Time Out: The Spartans defeated the No. 11 Rollins College Tars in their home opener by a score of 10-6. In the matchup, attackmen Carly Vaccaro and Maggie Gladden headed Tampa's offense, each with two goals and one assist for the Spartans. However, in the showdown, the Spartans showed a really well balanced offense, both Rachel Crawford and Natalie Carraway each had one goal and two assists. Additionally, Caroline Forester, Amanda Rom, Claire Swanson, and Shannon Sweeney all had a goal for UT. On the defensive side, Forester, and Swanson all led the Spartans with two caused turnovers each. However, the real hero of the day was freshman goalkeeper, Bridget Sutter. In her college debut, Sutter faced 17 shots in the cage, recording 11 saves for UT. Also, do to her stellar performance, the Evergreen, Colorado native, earned the SSC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
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. 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. 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.
About the Saints: The Saints ended the 2017 season with an overall record of 17-3, a perfect 10-0 in the Conference Carolinas. In Limestone's season opener against the North Greenville University, the Saints defeated the Crusaders by a final score of 19-2. In the game Caitlyn Nemeth and Courtney Lafler each recorded four goals, followed by Britannie Ouimet and Kendra Sheppard each with three. On the defensive side, Rose Blackburn, Alyssa Voccia, and Lauren Johnson all recorded two caused turnovers for the Saints. Jenna Haring starts at goalkeeper for Limestone having recorded two saves for the Saints.
Series History (Women's): The Saints lead the all-time series record with the Spartans with a 4-0 record.
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.