WOMEN'S LAX RELEASE - FEB. 6
With eight games in the week ahead, the American Athletic Conference's six women's lacrosse teams begin the 2019 campaign on Friday.
STARTING STRONG
Friday marks the start of the 2019 women’s lacrosse season, and with it the first year for women’s lacrosse under the American Athletic Conference banner. All six squads will take to the field at least once this weekend.
Out of the gate, two ranked opponents are on the docket. Preseason conference favorite Florida travels to No. 17/18 Colorado for Saturday’s lone contest. The meeting marks the first of four-straight against ranked opponents for the No. 6/6 Gators. Florida defeated the Buffaloes twice last season, first in the 2018 opener and again in the NCAA Second Round.
UConn hits the road to meet No. 15/13 Syracuse on Friday afternoon. Despite losing last year’s top two scorers in Grace Nolan and Kelsey Catalano to graduation, the Huskies return three players named to the American’s Preseason All-Conference team in Sydney Watson, Caitlin Leary and Olivia Miles.
Cincinnati’s opening weekend will consist of two contests against in-state opponents, as the Bearcats host Ohio State on Friday and Kent State on Sunday. ECU will also host two contests, opening Friday against Winthrop before meeting Gardner-Webb on Sunday.
Delaware will travel to Temple on Friday before the Owls make the short trip to Big Ten foe Rutgers on Tuesday. Vanderbilt opens its 2019 campaign at home against Wagner on Sunday.
BOLD BEGINNINGS
The American Athletic Conference will become Division I’s 16th league to sponsor women’s lacrosse in 2019. The six-team league will consist of primary members Cincinnati, UConn, ECU and Temple and affiliate members Florida and Vanderbilt. American Women’s Lacrosse will feature a round-robin regular-season schedule. The season will culminate with the top four teams from the regular season standings competing in the 2019 American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship, with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship.
FAMILIAR FOES
Five of The American’s six teams - Cincinnati, UConn, Florida, Temple and Vanderbilt - join the conference after competing in the Big East. Three of those teams, including Florida, UConn and Temple, had reached the Big East championship game at least once in the past four seasons. ECU played its inaugural season as a program in 2018, playing as an independent; two of the Pirates’ opponents last season were Cincinnati and Temple.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
American Athletic Conference teams have combined for 28 NCAA Championship appearances, with Temple’s 13 trips accounting for nearly half. Thirteen those NCAA appearances have come in the past decade. Collectively, the American’s teams posted a combined 40-42 record against now non-conference opponents in 2018.
CHOMPING CHAMPS
The Florida Gators, after posting a 9-0 slate in regular-season conference competition, captured their fourth-consecutive Big East tournament crown last season. The Gators reached their eighth-straight NCAA Championship as a result and entered the field as the No. 6 national seed, knocking off Colorado before falling to eventual national champion James Madison in the quarterfinals. Florida enters 2019 ranked sixth in the IWLCA and Inside Lacrosse Preseason Polls and is scheduled to meet eight nationally-ranked opponents this season.
LACROSSE ON THE AMERICAN DIGITAL NETWORK
The American Digital Network announced its spring slate on Feb. 5, with three women’s lacrosse contests featured in the lineup. All six teams will make an appearance on the ADN, which broadcasts live on Facebook at facebook.com/AmericanDigitalNetworkPlus.
Saturday, March 30
Florida at Temple • 12 p.m. ET
Saturday, April 6
Cincinnati at ECU • 12 p.m.
Saturday, April 13
UConn at Vanderbilt • 1 p.m.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
| FRIDAY |
 |
Ohio State |
|
 |
Cincinnati |
|
|
3 p.m. |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Live Stats Live Video |
 |
UConn |
|
 |
Syracuse |
|
|
3 p.m. |
Syracuse, N.Y. |
|
 |
Delaware |
|
 |
Temple |
|
|
3 p.m. |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
Live Stats Live Video |
 |
Winthrop |
|
 |
ECU |
|
|
4 p.m. |
Greenville, N.C. |
Live Stats |
| SATURDAY |
 |
Florida |
|
 |
Colorado |
|
|
12 p.m. |
Boulder, Colo. |
Live Stats |
| SUNDAY |
 |
Gardner-Webb |
|
|
ECU |
|
|
1 p.m. |
Greenville, N.C. |
Live Stats |
 |
Kent State |
|
|
Cincinnati |
|
|
1 p.m. |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Live Stats Live Video |
 |
Wagner |
|
 |
Vanderbilt |
|
|
2 p.m. |
Nashville, Tenn. |
|
| TUESDAY |
|
Temple |
|
 |
Rutgers |
|
|
3 p.m. |
Piscataway, N.J. |