INDIANAPOLIS – The Butler Bulldogs will host the #3 Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon at Varsity Field. Opening draw is slated for 12 PM.
BIG EAST Standings
1) Florida 6-0, 12-2
2) Temple 5-1, 12-2
3) Denver 5-1, 11-2
4) Georgetown 5-1, 7-7
5) Vanderbilt 3-3, 6-6
6) UConn 2-4, 5-8
7) Marquette 2-4, 4-10
8) Cincinnati 1-5, 5-9
9) Villanova 1-5, 3-10
10) Butler 0-6, 1-13
About Butler
This will be the toughest test of the season for Butler as they welcome the third-best team in the country to Indianapolis. The Bulldogs are coming off a 19-7 setback to Temple, a game played in Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon. Butler is now 0-6 against conference foes, however seven goals is by far their highest total recorded against a BIG EAST opponent.
Haley Hallenbeck scored two goals in the loss to the Owls to boost her season total to 24. She also has four assists to push her point total to 28. The team leader in points is
Journey Fischbeck. She has 17 goals and a team-high 12 assists for 29 points.
Butler's lone win this year was a three-goal difference at Gardner-Webb, 16-13. That outbreak was 10 goals more than their season average of six. As a team, BU is allowing 17 goals per game. Clears have been a challenge with BU hitting on 56 percent of their opportunities. The opposition is taking the ball across the field on 82 percent of their chances.
Butler continues to split time at goalie between
Haley Rayburn and
Allie Storke. Rayburn logged a majority of the minutes at Temple. She has a team-high 66 saves on the season, but allows 19 goals per game. Storke is allowing 15 goals per game, and has 57 saves.
Scouting #3 Florida
The Florida Gators are 12-2 overall with a perfect 6-0 record against BIG EAST opponents. Their first loss of the year came against North Carolina when the Tar Heels were the top-ranked team in the country. The Gators bounced back with a 15-10 win over then-ranked #3 USC.
Florida has five wins over ranked opponents, a list that includes USC, Towson, Stony Brook, Syracuse and Denver. Their only other loss came to #1 Maryland 18-8.
The Gators head into the weekend having won four-straight contests. They beat Vandy and Villanova by 10 goals and picked up lopsided wins over Marquette and Cincinnati.
Mollie Stevens and Lindsey Ronbeck are the top two scoring options on the roster. Stevens currently holds the team lead in goals scored with 43. Ronbeck is right behind her with 41.
Two other players to keep an eye on include Shayna Pirreca and Sammi Burgess. Pirreca has 38 goals and 11 assists to her credit. Burgess sets up the action with a team-high 33 assists.
Butler will look to attack goalie Haley Hicklen, a 5-9 sophomore with 109 saves on the year. Hicklen allowed nine goals per game, but hangs onto a 12-2 record. She is the primary goalie having logged 760 of 840 total minutes.
Up Next
Butler's final road trip of the year will take the team to Milwaukee to face the Golden Eagles of Marquette. Opening draw is set for 6 PM on April 22.
