Spartans Will Host Sailfish on Senior Day
The No. 5 Spartans are set to host the PBA Sailfish for the second time in program history.
TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 5 University of Tampa women's lacrosse team is set to host the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on Saturday, April 13that 1:00 p.m. Prior to the start of the game, the Spartans will honor their nine senior class members. Be sure to get to Naimoli Field early in order to help recognize and send off these accomplished individuals.
The Matchup: No. 5 University of Tampa (9-3, SSC 2-1) vs. Palm Beach Atlantic University (5-7, SSC 0-4)
Date/Time: Saturday, April 13that 1:00 p.m.
Location: Naimoli Family Intramural and Athletic Complex | Tampa, Fla.
Last Time Out: The University of Tampa Spartans were defeated by No. 5 Rollins College by a final score of 18-10. In the contest, Kristyn Staley earned three goals for UT, followed by Caroline Forester and Carly Vaccaro each with two. Kayla Kosubinsky also added a goal in addition to leading the team in assists with two. Defensively, junior captain Claire Swanson recorded three caused turnovers, three draw controls, two ground balls, and also had one goal and one assist. Bridget Sutter logged the entire 60 minutes in the cage for the Spartans. The sophomore faced 29 shots, and stated 11 saves.
About the Spartans: Tampa is currently 9-3 overall, 2-1 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. 5, the highest rank in program history 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 92 goals to her name. Junior Maggie Gladden also returns as one of the Spartans greatest threats. In her junior campaign, Gladden has stated 25 goals, six assists, 15 groundballs, three draw controls, and eight 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 27 and 13 goals respectively, and are third and fifth on the team in goals this season. On defense, freshman Danielle Waters has stepped up big for UT. Waters is third on the team in both groundballs and fourth in caused turnovers with 21 and 14 respectively.
About the Sailfish: The Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish are only a second-year women's lacrosse program. This season, they have an overall record of 5-7, and are 0-4 in the Sunshine State Conference. Offensively, the Sailfish are led by #6 Kiki Cinotti and #25 Grace Bartlinski, who have 67 and 43 points respectively. Cinotti's points consist of 28 goals and 39 assists, while Bartlinski's consist of 37 goals and six assists. Bartlinski also wins the majority of the draws for the Sailfish logging 57 on the season. PBA's defensive stat leader is #99 Lindsey Heffler. Heffler has recorded a team-high of 12 caused turnovers and is second on the team in ground balls with 24. As goalkeeper, the Sailfish will start by using #4 Abigal Nehring. Nehring has faced 329 shots this season and has recorded 101 saves. Her goals against average is 16.32.
Series History (Women's): The Spartans defeated the Sailfish in the only contest between the two programs.