As
13 seniors played their final regular-season home game, No. 3 Florida lacrosse
rose to the challenge as it overwhelmed No. 4 Northwestern, 22-4, Saturday at
Donald R. Dizney Stadium. With the win, Florida shares a portion of the ALC
title with the Wildcats; marking their third-consecutive regular season
championship in their four-year history.
The
Gators (16-1, 4-1 ALC) hand the two-time defending national champion Wildcats
(13-2, 4-1 ALC) their most lopsided loss since they were reinstated as a
varsity sport in 2002, shooting 22-for-28 (.785) in front of a season-high
1,023 fans on a cold, rainy day in Gainesville. UF was led by sophomore
midfielder Shannon Gilroy (Northport, N.Y.) who scored seven points
(five goals, two assists) while six other Gators scored multiple goals.
“This
group has worked so hard day in and day out and it’s just a testament to our
seniors,” Head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “For them to come out and play
the way they did and with the supporting cast, I thought it was just a great
job by everyone today.”
Senior
attack Gabi Wiegand (Bay Shore, N.Y.) added five points (four goals, one
assist) while senior midfielder Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) became
the first Gator to record 200 career draw controls. Dashiell recorded a
team-high seven draws for the second-consecutive game and paired it with a hat
trick to help the Gators extend their home win streak to 18. They also
concluded the regular season 9-0 at home, the first undefeated season and most
wins at Dizney Stadium in a season.
Senior
attacks Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.) and Ashley Bruns (Ellicott
City, Md.) each had three goals while Cullen dished out two assists as Florida
matched its season-high in goals with 22. Senior attack Caroline Chesterman (South
Nyack, N.Y.) and sophomore midfielder Nora Barry (Marcellus, N.Y.) each
had two goals, rounding out the scoring for the afternoon.
Florida
got off to a quick start with Gilroy scoring just 30 seconds into the contest
on a Gilroy goal. It was followed 31 seconds later by Wiegand to jump start the
Gators offense for the afternoon. They would score five unanswered goals
before Northwestern’s Taylor Thornton got on the board on a free position with
17:59 to play. Cullen and Bruns assisted by Barry scored back-to-back 11
seconds apart to respond putting their team up 8-1.
UF
assisted on 11 goals on the afternoon, marking a season-high and tied for the
second-most in a single game in program history. Dashiell led the way with a
career-high three assists while Barry, Cullen and Gilroy each found teammates
on two.
Northwestern
scored its only other goal of the game on an Erin Fitzgerald free position with
13:24 to play as the Orange and Blue closed the half on a 5-0 run taking a 13-2
lead at the break. UF opened the second half with goals from Wiegand and
Dashiell before NU’s Fitzgerald found the back of the net again with 24:47 to
play.
UF’s
defense didn’t disappoint either as it forced eight turnovers and held the
Wildcats to just four shots in the second half. Senior defender Kayla
Stolins (Glen Arm, Md.) and junior defender Krista Grabher (Vero
Beach, Fla.) each caused two turnovers with Dashiell and Barry each picking up
three ground balls. Senior goalkeeper Mikey Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.)
recorded five saves in the net for the Gators with four of them in the first
half.
“I
thought we did a great job all around on defense,” O’Leary said. “We had early
slides all-around on their best attackers and Mikey played a great game in
goal, so I think it was a total team effort.”
