Pirreca Sisters Delivered Big for Gators on Mother's Day

Sisters Sydney Pirreca, No. 44, and Shayna Pirreca combined for seven goals and nine points in Sunday's win over Colorado. (Photo: Jim Burgess/UAA Communications)

Pirreca Sisters Delivered Big for Gators on Mother's Day

Sunday, May 13, 2018 | Lacrosse, Scott Carter

Shayna and Sydney Pirreca scored six goals (three each) to help turn an early 5-0 deficit into a halftime lead in win over Colorado.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a span of less than 19 minutes off the game clock Sunday afternoon, the mood at Dizney Stadium turned upside down in the Florida lacrosse team's 13-9 victory over Colorado.

Seeking to avoid a fourth consecutive season without a trip to the NCAA quarterfinals, the Gators fell behind 5-0 when Colorado's Carly Cox notched the second of back-to-back goals with 24:09 left in the first half.

That's not the recipe for success Florida had in mind.

"That five-goal differential was a little nerve-wracking,'' Gators head coach Amanda O'Leary said.

No worries. The Pirreca sisters came to the rescue, combining for six of Florida's eight goals to close the half.

Sydney Pirreca, after Grace Haus put the Gators on the board with a goal, struck first with 18:09 left in the half to trim Colorado's lead to three. Less than a minute later UF's Shannon Kavanagh scored to make it 5-3.

That's when the Pirreca girls from Mount Sinai, N.Y., took over.

Shayna Pirreca, a senior attacker, scored back-to-back goals to tie the score 5-5. Not to be outdone, Sydney, a junior midfielder, scored the next two goals to put Florida ahead 7-5. Finally, with 5:52 left before halftime, Shayna struck for her third goal of the game and the Gators never looked back in becoming one of the final eight teams left standing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.

"The upperclassmen really led the fight back,'' said Haus, a freshman from Baltimore. "They were really striving to get us to believe that we can come back because we still had so much time."

Shayna Pirreca added another goal in the second half as the sisters combined for seven goals and nine points on Mother's Day as their mom, Kim Pirreca, watched from the stands.

"I think she will be very happy with her Mother's Day gift,'' Shayna said. "It's kind of a joke in my family. My parents say, 'Oh, I know that if Sydney scores I know Shayna is going to score right after.' We really do feed off each other. We get really excited when the other one scores, so I think that helps us individually as well."

Florida's Pirreca Power proved invaluable on Sunday as Colorado face-guarded Big East Tournament MVP Linsdey Ronbeck, who scored 15 goals in two games last weekend for the Gators. She didn't score Sunday until 7:22 remained in the game.

"She was unselfish. She pulled herself out of the plays, set picks, kind of did everything that she needed to do to help us free up some other players,'' O'Leary said. "I thought it was a great game plan by Colorado. I'm just glad we were able to adjust."

With Ronbeck clamped down by the Buffs, the Pirrecas fired away early and missed on a couple of scoring chances. Colorado seized control and set the tempo in the first five minutes.

Once the Gators worked up a good sweat, they began to pull away thanks to turning up their defense and good shot selection on offense.

"We were just a lot more patient with the ball,'' Shayna Pirreca said. "We were trying to drag that double-team and find the backside because the looks were wide open. In the first couple of possessions we were trying to rush it. I think we kind of got our composure back and it helped us a lot."

While Sunday's performance came on the big stages, the Pirreca sisters are no stranger to the scoresheet. They have scored 34 percent of the Gators' goals this season (113 of 335).

The two former gymnasts made the switch to lacrosse prior to high school and work tirelessly to be at their best.

"We rely on them obviously a lot,'' O'Leary said. "Overall, their hustle, the way they move the ball, was just really impressed today with their play for sure. Ultimately, they play off one another. They know what pumps each other up. They know what it takes to make each other go. I think that is kind of what is the special part of having your sister out there playing with you, and they are able to do that."

They did it in a big way on Sunday. A Mother's Day the Pirreca family won't soon forget.

The Gators play on. Next is a trip to James Madison for a berth in the Final Four.

"It really means the world for us to break that streak," Shayna said. "It's been kind of haunting us."

The Pirreca girls haunted Colorado in this one.