Officers for the 2009 Season:

We will be having an informational meeting in conference room 287 in the Reitz Union tuesday september 2nd at 5:30 pm. At the meeting will will discuss practice times, our fall schedule, forms that need to be turned in, etc. All returning players and those who wish to join the team should attend this meeting.

            Under ominous skies, the Florida Gators took on The Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee.  The game, which was originally scheduled for 5:00 p.m., got changed 4 times due to weather until it was finally settled for 12:00 p.m.  The Gators, eager to retain their top ranking in SWLL, came out strong.  Aubrey Siegel had Shannon Whitehead scored 4 goals each.  Holly Greimann and Jesse Hogan added 1 each.  Marissa Higgins allowed 3 goals, saving 8 of 11 shots.  The game was called early, with 11:43 remaining, due to a lightening warning.  Because 80% of play had occurred, the two teams agreed to accept the final score, 10-3.  “I really wished we could have finished out the last 12 minutes,” Marissa Higgins said. “We were really starting to get our rhythm and I wish we could have seen how the rest of the game would have played out.”  The Gators are now preparing for the SWLL championships, which will occur April 18-20.

The lady Gators traveled all the way to Pittsburgh, PA for the Pitt Playday. The first game of the weekend was against the University of Pittsburgh, the host of the tournament.  The Gators had a tough time adjusting to the surroundings. Despite the circumstances, the Gators kept the game close until the end of the game, when Pitt  ultimately came up victorious, 14-8.  Shannon Whitehead led the Gators with 5 goals and 2 assists.  Kate O’Linn added two goals, Aubrey Siegel added 1, while Justine Harris had 2 assists.  Although disheartened by this loss, the Gators still pumped each other up, reminding each other the reason they were there.

The next morning, the Gators woke up before 6 a.m. to head downtown for their games.  The first game was against Miami University - Ohio.  The Gators came out strong.  Kate O’Linn added 6 points to the scoreboard with 3 goals and 3 assists.  Jesse Hogan, Christine Wagner and Shannon Whitehead added two goals.  The Gators were leading 10-9 with 1 minute remaining, but Miami retaliated and scored the game-tying and game-winning goals within the last minute of play. 

The Gators then took on University of Maryland. The Gators were down 5 to 2 at halftime, but came back during the second half.  Jesse Hogan scored and tied the game, but Maryland came back and scored with less than 30 seconds left for the win.  Shannon Whitehead scored 3 goals, Jesse Hogan 2 and Holly Greimann added 1.

In their final game on Sunday, the Gators were victorious against Northeastern University.  Shannon Whitehead had 4 goals and 2 assists.  Justine Harris, Jesse Hogan and Christine Wagner added a goal each and Tori Tomiczek had one assist.  Although the team wished they could have added more to the win column, they still proved that they could hang with the best. They will take on Florida State for the last regular season game April 5^th.

While in Miami, the lady Gators look on the University of South Florida after their match against Miami.  Exhausted, the Gators still managed to pull off a 15-5 victory.  The game was played with a running clock to accommodate for the tardy refs and the earlier game played by the Gators.  Shannon Whitehead led the Gators with an impressive 6 goals and 2 assists, while Elana Plotkin added another 2.  Lindsay Andres, Holly Greimann, Jesse Hogan, Kate O’Linn, Aubrey Siegel and Christine Wagner each added a goal for the Gators.

The lady Gators traveled to Miami to take on the University of Miami.  After the first whistle blew, they were caught on their heels, as Miami took an early lead of 3-0.  The Gators recomposed and rallied back to win 16-9.  Goalie Marissa Higgins saved 6 of the 15 shots on goal.  Scoring was led by Kate O’Linn who had 5 goals and Shannon Whitehead put 5 points on the scoreboard, with 4 goals and 1 assist.  Jesse Hogan added 2 goals and 3 assists, while Aubrey Siegel added 2 goals and 5 assists.  The victory was largely due to a team effort, as 10 of the 16 goals were assisted.