GAINESVILLE, FL. - The Purple Eagles lacrosse team took on one of the top teams in the country Friday night, facing off against the third-ranked University of Florida Gators. Florida ended the contest Friday evening with a 19-3 win over Niagara at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium.

"I am very proud of the effort from our team tonight," head coach Wendy Stone said. "We fought against one of the best teams in the country for 60 minutes. Playing at this pace and against a team of this caliber will prepare us for MAAC play."

Rachel MacCheyne, Alexis Morales, and Jillian Ford each scored once for the Purple Eagles (1-4), while Sarah Arndt registered an assist. Andrea Francisco made three saves in goal.

Florida (6-0) jumped out to an early start against Niagara, as the Gators jumped out to a 12-0 lead 18 minutes into the game. Niagara slowed the Gators' attack from there, as the two teams headed to halftime with Florida in front 14-0. Thirteen different Gators players scored in the win over Niagara as the team came in to the home match off of an 11-10 overtime win over second-ranked Syracuse at the Carrier Dome earlier this week.

Niagara got the scoring started in the second half as MacCheyne cashed in on a free-position shot following a Florida yellow card. With three goals and two assists through five games, MacCheyne is the only Purple Eagle with points in all five games of 2016. Florida scored two more goals to push the lead to 16-1. After controlling the ensuing draw, Niagara established possession in the Florida end and found its second goal of the game on an unassisted tally from Morales.

The Purple Eagles rounded out the score with a goal from sophomore Ford with 2:46 left in the second period, her first of the season on an assist from Arndt. Arndt was one of Niagara's top all-around performers, gathering four loose balls in addition to causing two of the team's five caused turnovers in the loss.

"We learned a lot tonight and throughout this road stretch," Stone added. "We look forward to showing how much we've improved as a team our next time out in our home opener."

With five road games now completed to open the season, Niagara gets a week off to prepare for two-straight home contests to open the six-game home slate at Niagara Field for 2016. The Purple Eagles will play host to Cincinnati on Sunday, March 13 at 12:00 p.m. before Mount St. Mary's comes to Monteagle Ridge Friday, March 18 for a 3:00 p.m. matchup.

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