Florida Gators
Georgetown
Florida Defeats Georgetown, Moves to 3-0 in Conference Play
Saturday, April 4, 2015 | Lacrosse
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Thirty-nine seconds was all it took for Florida (9-4, 3-0 BIG EAST) to score the game's first two goals against Georgetown (2-9, 1-1 BIG EAST) on Saturday at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. The No. 8 Gators and their explosive offense continued scoring goals at a frantic pace the rest of the afternoon and defeated the Hoyas, 18-4.
After senior Shannon Gilroy won the opening draw, the All-American midfielder raced down the field and fed a pass to fellow senior Nora Barry, who found the back of the net to score the game's first goal 16 seconds into the contest. Just 13 seconds later, Florida scored another goal after Gilroy dished a pass to junior Devon Schneider in front of the crease for an easy score.
Florida continued to light up the scoreboard, scoring three more goals and lead 5-0 by the 25-minute mark and entered halftime with a 9-2 advantage.
With the offense humming, Florida found the back of the net nine more times in the second half, easily picking apart a Georgetown defense that on Wednesday night held No. 1 Maryland at bay for much of the game.
Florida's defense continued to shutdown BIG EAST competition, holding Georgetown to four goals on just 17 shots. Junior goalkeeper Mary-Sean Wilcox had a banner day in net, making seven saves before she gave way to freshman Olivia Cole, who stopped two shots.
The UF backline chipped in, forcing nine turnovers while scooping up 26 ground balls.
Gilroy finished with a game-high eight points on five goals and three assists. Sophomore Mollie Stevens chipped in with a hat trick and one assist, while six other Gators found the back of the net.
Shannon Gilroy totaled eight points on five goals and three assists. (Photo: Jim Burgess)
Record
- Florida – 9-4, 3-0 BIG EAST
- Georgetown – 2-9, 1-1 BIG EAST
Series Update
- With today's win, Florida improved to 3-1 all-time vs. Georgetown and has won the last three contents
Numbers of Note
- Florida has won 12-straight regular-season conference games dating back to 2013
- In three conference games, Florida has outscored its opponents, 54-17
- Senior Shannon Gilroy netted five goals and now has 230 in her career, which ranks tied for 16th all-time in NCAA Division I history
- Gilroy leads all active NCAA Division I women's lacrosse players in goals scored
- Through three BIG EAST games, Gilroy has tallied 22 points on 16 goals and six assists
- Gilroy now has 65 points 48 goals; she entered today ranked second nationally in points and third in goals
- Sophomore Mollie Stevens scored three goals and has now scored a goal in 17-consecutive games, three shy of tying the program mark held by Ashley Bruns
- Sophomore Caroline Fitzgerald tallied a season-high four ground balls and caused two turnovers
- Redshirt junior Nicole Graziano totaled a career-high four ground balls and added three points, one goal and two assists
- Junior Devon Schneider netted two goals on two shots. Schneider has scored 16 goals on 18 shots this season (.888)
Mandee's Minute
Head coach Amanda O'Leary
Overall thoughts from the game:
"I thought we came out of the locker room really, really quick. Georgetown is a team who I felt like their record wasn't indicative of the type of team they are. They have some really good offensive players and some solid defense, and it was really important that we got on the board quickly and that we kept going. Oftentimes we'll get on the board and then we take a lull. I thought this time we just really kept at it and kept the momentum going. I think we had a lull there when we had a bunch of turnovers. For the most part, I thought we played a really good game today."
On Mary-Sean Wilcox's performance, including seven saves:
"I thought she played great, and we've been kind of waiting for that. I think she's kind of been up and down, but today she was solid for the entire time she was in there -- coming up with ground balls and making saves on 8-meters, which are so difficult. She did a nice job of transitioning the ball as well. She made really smart decisions when she had it, so I thought overall she was rock solid today."
Senior midfielder Shannon Gilroy
On what Florida saw from Georgetown's defense:
"Going into this game, we thought they were going to run a different defense than we normally are used to. We're used to man-to-man, and they were playing a zone. All week, we were really focusing on that, but at the same time, we also worked on our normal offense going toward the man-to-man, so we didn't know what they were going to throw at us. I think the preparation going into this game really helped us.
Up Next
Florida continues BIG EAST play on Wednesday (April 8) when it travels to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to take on Marquette. Opening draw is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. EST.
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