JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Senior All-American Shannon Gilroy continued to climb the Florida record book, as she lead the No. 4 Gators (1-1) to a 17-8 victory over Jacksonville University (0-1) Wednesday night at D.B. Milne Field.
Gilroy tallied a game-high five goals and moved into second place on Florida's all-time scoring list with 191 career goals. The senior midfielder added an assist to finish the game with a game-leading six points.
After being held scoreless through nearly the first 10 minutes of action, senior Nora Barry started the Florida scoring barrage with an unassisted goal off a fast break, her first goal of the season. Just 18 seconds later sophomore Mollie Stevens ripped a shot past Jacksonville's goalie after sophomore Caroline Fitzgerald won the draw and sprinted down the field before feeding her teammate.
Florida's offense continued to hum the rest of the half and entered halftime with an 8-4 lead.
The offensive explosion continued in the second half as Florida ripped off a 7-0 run, highlighted by three Gilroy goals. The run put the game out of reach, as Jacksonville only got within nine goals the rest of the game.
Florida received a strong offensive effort from Stevens for a second-consecutive game. The sophomore netted three goals and now has seven goals through the Gators' first two games. Sophomore Sammi Burgess contributed three goals off the bench and Barry and redshirt junior Nicole Graziano added two goals each.
Record
· Florida – 1-1
· Jacksonville – 0-1
Series Update
· Florida improved to 6-0 all-time vs. Jacksonville
Numbers of Note
· Shannon Gilroy tallied five goals and now has 191 in career, moving past Ashley Bruns (2010-13) into second place on UF's all-time scoring list
· Dating back to last season, Gilroy has scored a goal in 18-consecutive games, tying Ashley Bruns for third-longest in team history
· Mollie Stevens netted three goals and now has seven through Florida's first two games
· Sammi Burgess came off the bench and scored three goals
· Nora Barry now has 98-career goals after scoring two goals tonight
· Nicole Graziano scored two goals and now has four this season
· Freshman Shayna Pirecca earned her first-career start
Mandee's Minute
Head coach Amanda O'Leary
On her team's victory:
“Overall we received a strong offensive performance. Shannon Gilroy, Sammi Burgess, Mollie Stevens and Mary-Sean Wilcox all had strong second halves for us. Taylor Bresnahan came up huge for us in the draw circle, and helped us gain the possession advantage. Olivia Cole came in at the end of the game and made some big saves for us. Defensively, we played with confidence and were able to dictate Jacksonville's attackers. There were a lot of positives for us, but we still have plenty to work on in preparation for Michigan on Saturday.”
Up Next
Florida hosts Michigan (0-0) on Saturday (Feb. 14) at 1 p.m. at Donald R. Dizney Stadium
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