Tampa Shows Up to Own Season Opener

TAMPA, Fla. – The sixth ranked University of Tampa women's lacrosse team opened up their 2020 season at home against the University of Alabama in Huntsville. UT used a balanced attack to claim the opener by a final score of 22-11. Carly Vaccaro earned a spot in the UT record book as she scored a program-high seven goals in the victory. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: No. 6 Tampa Spartans 22, Alabama-Huntsville 11
Records: Tampa (1-0), Alabama-Huntsville (0-2)
Location: Naimoli Field | Tampa, Fla. 
All-time Series: The Spartans lead the all-time series over the Chargers 4-0.    
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How It Happened: 

First Half: 

• Hannah Bush scored the first goal of the season as she scored on a free position shot 1:04 into the game. 
• The Spartans were able to jump out to a 5-1 lead over the Chargers with 18:44 left in the half. 
• The Chargers battled back and tie the game back up at five goals each with 13:28 remaining. 
• UT would close the half out on a 7-0 run, as they headed to the half with a 12-5 lead. 

Second Half:  

• Tampa continued their run in the second half as they quickly scored three goals to take a 15-5 lead over Alabama-Huntsville.
• UAH was able to get the score under 10 goals and pulled within eight goals of UT with 15:12 left in the game.
• The Spartans were able to put away the Chargers as they would score five of the final seven goals of the game to win the game 22-11. 

Inside the Stats: 

• Carly Vaccaro led the way for Tampa, racking up 10 points, scoring seven goals on seven shots and adding three assists. 
• Hannah Bush also recorded a hat trick as she scored four goals and added five assists in the win. 
• Claire Swanson, Lizzie Pierpont, and Maggie Gladden each added three goals apiece. 
• Bridget Sutter earned the victory between the pipes collecting 13 saves in the game.  

Beyond the Box: 

• Vaccaro's seven goals are a program record, as she also held the previous best with six goals. 
• The 10 points scored by Vaccaro are tied with Rachel Crawford for the most in program history. 
• With the win, the Spartans move to 4-0 all-time against Alabama-Huntsville. 

Up Next: The Spartans will be on the road on Thursday, February 20^th, as they travel to Newberry South Carolina to take on the Newbery University Wolves. The game is set to begin at 4:00 p.m. 

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