The University
of Florida lacrosse team extended its winning steak to 14 this afternoon,
outlasting the University at Albany’s offensive stall technique in a 6-4
victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gators are now 2-0 in
NCAA First Round competition, and will move on to host fellow ALC member Penn
State next Saturday in the NCAA Quarterfinals. With the win Florida improves to
18-2, while UAlbany finishes the season at 12-6.
“Credit
Albany for just a fantastic job today,” Head Coach Amanda O’Leary said. “They came in here with a ton of heart. They
were scrappy. John (Battaglino) came in with a team that was incredibly
prepared to play. So credit Albany for a great game.
“I’m really
proud of our kids as well. I think they came out and they competed. I don’t
think everything went as we had scripted, but still competed hard, played hard,
and came out with a win.”
Shannon
Gilroy (Northport, N.Y.) followed her
outstanding performance against Northwestern with another solid outing in the
midfield, leading the Gators with five draw controls and two goals, and helping
UF to earn a 10-2 advantage on draws. Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.) put up a goal and an assist, and Nora
Barry (Marcellus, N.Y.), Brittany
Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) and Nicole
Graziano (Mendham, N.J.) each added a
goal.
The Gators
defense was lights out once again, holding its opponent to single digits for
the 16th time this season. Kayla Stolins (Glen Arm,
Md.) led the charge with three of the Gators’ 10 caused turnovers, marking the
third-straight game in which Florida caused at least 10 TO. Mikey
Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.) held firm in the
cage, making five saves while allowing just four goals.
Jess Antelmi
led the Great Danes with three of UAlbany’s five points, notching two goals and
an assist. Mel Rorie caused three turnovers for the Great Danes, and Anna
Berman made three saves, allowed six goals, and tabbed a game-leading five
ground balls.
Nora Barry
won the opening draw, and just 36 seconds into the postseason, Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) passed up to Barry at the top
of the arc, who drove through the UAlbany defense and buried the ball in the
back of the net.
Florida won
the next draw, but a turnover created by Anna Berman gave UAlbany its first
possession, which the Great Danes intended to hold onto. Throughout the entire
game, UA took its time with the ball on offense, maintaining the ball for
several minutes at a time without making a direct move to the goal.
“It was a
great game plan, clearly,” O’Leary said. “They were able to maintain
possession. They worked for the perfect shot and a bunch of times they were
able to convert on it. I think it’s a great game plan. It worked.”
Trailing 1-0,
the Great Danes held the ball for upwards of six minutes, before a foul in the
arc sent Ariana Parker to the line on free position. Meagher made her first
save of the day, and soon the ball was back in UF’s hands.
The Gators
did not waste any time once the ball was in their possession, and just 11
seconds after the successful clear, Bruns found Dashiell right in front of the
net, sending a one-timer into the cage for goal number two at 22:18.
The Great Danes continued to slow down the pace of the
game, but midway through the first half, the Gators were able to score two
quick goals. At 16:35, Cullen found Gilroy in the middle, who ducked an
attacker’s stick, pulled off a spin move through a double team, and while still
maintaining possession, found the back of the net. Nicole Graziano then beat
out a one-on-one run from the 30 just over two minutes later, to give Florida
an early, 4-0 lead.
UAlbany’s
defense succeeded in keeping Florida off the board for the remaining 14 minutes
of the half, and with 11:28 to go in the period, Jess Antelmi was able to drive
the ball around the goal circle and bounced in the Great Danes’ first goal of
the afternoon.
Ariana Parker
won the opening draw of the second half, and after a scoreless 13-and-a-half
minutes of play, Antelmi sent a one-timer to Amanda Pollock, who cut Florida’s
lead to two, 4-2.
Haydon
Judge (Chestertown, Md.) won the ensuing
draw, and after nearly 30 minutes without a Gator goal, Shannon Gilroy netted a
free-position goal at 15:19. Less than two minutes later, Cullen drove in from
out to the left, splitting a strong defensive attempt, to net her first goal of
the afternoon and put Florida back ahead by four, 6-2.
Florida
continued to dominate on the draw, but UAlbany’s patient possessions kept the
ball out of Florida’s prolific attackers’ sticks.
“When they do
that, it is really important to continue talking to each other,” said junior
defender Sam Farrell (Millersville,
Md.), “keeping the energy up and continue working for each other. (We) just
need to know at any minute they are going to get us in a lull and they are
trying to slow us down and at any minute they can go to goal. We just have to
be ready for that.”
As the
clocked ticked down, the Great Danes’ patience continued to pay off, as UA
worked at chipping away at Florida’s lead. Ariana Parker netted a free-position
goal at 7:29, and with 4:23 remaining in regulation, Antelmi bounced in her
second goal of the day to cut the score to 6-4.
The final
four minutes of the game had a new rhythm, as the Great Danes needed to speed
up their attack and play with a greater sense of urgency. However, this
resulted in a combined five turnovers and just one shot, by Florida’s Shannon
Gilroy, and as the clock ran to zero, UF came out on top with a final score of
6-4.
The Gators
return to action next Saturday, May 19, to host ALC rival Penn State, who defeated
#8 Towson 15-8 this afternoon, in the NCAA Quarterfinals. It marks the
second-straight season that Florida has hosted both of the first two rounds.
Florida will be in search of its first-ever Final Four appearance when the
opening whistle blows at 12:30 p.m.
