Florida lacrosse opens 2012 season this weekend at No. 3 North Carolina

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

The No. 4 Florida lacrosse team will kick off its 2012 season on the road against No. 3 North Carolina Saturday afternoon.

The Tar Heels return eight of their 12 starters from last season's 15-6 team, which advanced to the Final Four. Additionally, North Carolina has the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation. In 2011, the Tar Heels finished sixth in the nation in scoring defense (8.43) led by junior goalkeeper Lauren Maksym, who ranked sixth in the nation in goals-against average (8.30), 15th in save percentage (.472) and 19th in total saves (150).

This is the second-straight season in which the Gators open at UNC. In the 2011, then-No. 17 Florida took on then-No. 3 North Carolina in a back-and-forth battle that the Tar Heels eventually won 10-9 in overtime.

The Gators have yet to defeat a team from the ACC, going 0-3 over the past two seasons against ACC teams.

Prior to the regular season, Florida defeated the England National Team 17-2 on Jan. 26 in its first-ever international exhibition game.

Listen to coach Amanda O'Leary recap the exhibition game, then discuss this weekend's game against North Carolina:

Posted by Antonya English at 5:28:22 pm on February 10, 2012 in

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