CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Florida State lacrosse team (18-2, 6-0 AAC) defeated the North Carolina Tarheels (10-7) to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the 13th straight season . , 6-3 ACC) won Friday night by a score of 17-8. The Gators improved to 6-0 overall in the first round and have won 18 straight games.
The Gators never trailed in the game, holding the lead for 56 minutes and 15 seconds of the game's first 60 minutes. Florida led by as many as 10 goals, ending the Tar Heels' streak of winning first-round games at 20.
Florida had three players record hat tricks. emily heller, Josie Hearn and maggie hall All scored three goals in the win. Hall became the second player in Florida history to score 100 career points.
sarah falk He recorded his seventh multi-goal game of the season, scoring two goals and one each for his team. Madison Waters, Gianna Monaco, Gabi Cooley, Ashley Gonzalez, paisley egan and Daniel Pavinelli.
The Tar Heels had one assist compared to Florida's nine. Gonzalez (four) and Pavinelli (three) led the team with seven assists, with Monaco and Egan contributing one each. Gonzalez moved into second place all-time in assists at the University of Florida.
Elise Finnell He made 14 saves, tying a career high, thanks to his efforts at the net. She held the Tar Heels to 1-of-6 on free position shots, below their season average of .405 percent. She was the difference, as Florida only outscored the Tar Heels in shots, 32-31, and shots on goal, 23-22. The Gators won the draw control battle 19-11. liz harrison There were 7 people in the evening. Falk, Egan; hannah heller We each donated 3.
coach Amanda O'Leary won his 400th career game tonight, becoming the fourth coach in NCAA Division I history to reach that mark. Her total record is 400 wins and 124 losses.
how did it happen
- The Gators hit first for the 18th time this season.federal government of monaco emily heller He cut through the back door on the right wing, gradually inched his way inside, and patiently found the back of the cage at the 12:02 mark to make it 1-0.
- After the Tar Heels scored at 11:20, Florida responded with a 3-0 run with 2:58 left in the half. Falk scored with an unassisted pass at 10:33, followed by Cooley cutting in and finishing off a shot by Gonzalez from behind the goal. Pavinelli took the lane given to him on the left, then cut back to the right and scored on the edge of the crease to end the run. At the 7:35 media timeout, the Gators led 4-1.
- The Tar Heels' goal with 4:38 left was answered by the University of Florida with 2:42 left, when Pavinelli fed Monaco who was open near the crease and Monaco buried it in the back of the cage for a one-point lead. That gave Florida a 5-2 advantage. Finnell totaled five saves in the quarter.
Second quarter
- The Gators showed smooth individual work to start the quarter, with Waters (14:14) and Hall (12:58) leaving defenders behind and scoring unassisted to make it 7-2 just over two minutes into the quarter. took the lead. .
- The University of North Carolina fought back with three consecutive points, but Heller ran to the right, pasted the keeper, and scored the much-needed goal, giving the University an 8-5 lead at the media timeout with less than eight minutes left.
- The Tar Heels scored at the 5:20 mark, and the Gators responded with a 3-0 run to end the first half.
- Gonzalez scored Eagan's goal at the 4:15 mark, his 95th assist and moved him into second place in college assists. Fifty-seven seconds later, Hall replaced his defender with skates and scored his second goal of the game without an assist. Florida clinched the point at 1:17 when Pavinelli hit Gonzalez for its largest lead of the game at 11-6.
3rd quarter
- Bragg forced two turnovers in the final minutes of the first half, but Faulk scored his second unassisted goal of the game at 8:47, extending the lead to six points.
- With 4:25 remaining, the Gators led 13-6, had a player-up advantage, and Pavinelli scored his first point of the game off Hearn.
- UF held the Tar Heels to 0-7 on shots and 0-2 on free position opportunities in the third quarter. Finnell made four saves on target as the Gators held on to their seven-goal advantage.
4th quarter
- North Carolina took the lead just over two minutes into the quarter, but the Gators answered with a three-player up advantage as Gonzalez fed Hahn to make it 14-7 with 9:27 left.
- Florida scored three consecutive goals with 4:04 left in the period. emily heller He scored on an 8-meter chance (6:00), followed by goals by Hall and Hearn, with assists from Egan and Gonzalez, both completing their hat tricks. It was all Gators who held a 17-7 lead with 1:56 left.
- A late North Carolina goal ended the game, and the Gators defeated the Tar Heels 17-8.
important notes
- The Gators beat the Tar Heels for the first time since 2018, improving their record to 4-13.
- This was the largest margin of victory over North Carolina, which was 7 in 2018.
- Florida improved to 6-0 overall in the first round, outscoring opponents by a combined score of 103-51.
- The Gators have had 10 or more goal scorers in 11 games this season.
- Florida is 5-2 against ranked opponents this season.
Season/career high
Josie Hearn – Scored a career-high 3 goals
Elise Finnell – Career-high tying 14 saves
Ashley Gonzalez – Season-high tying 4 assists
sarah falk – Season’s best tied 3 draw control
Teresa Bragg – Two career-high ties resulted in turnovers.
Active streak (8 games or more)
next
The Gators (18-2, 6-0 AAC) will face No. 5 seed Virginia (15-4, 6-3 AAC) for the first time in program history in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be played at Klockner Stadium and streamed on ESPN+.
Follow Gator:
#flax
twitter
Instagram
Facebook
