She May Be Small, But Kittell Stands Tall

Madisyn Kittell, No. 1, scored a pair of second-half goals Sunday. (Photo: Jim Burgess/UAA Communications)

She May Be Small, But Kittell Stands Tall

Sunday, February 25, 2018 | Lacrosse, Scott Carter

Sophomore attacker Madisyn Kittell, the smallest player on the field at 4-foot-7, played a big role for the Gators on Sunday in an overtime win over Loyola.

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Madisyn Kittell looks up to her parents both figuratively and literally.

Christine and David Kittell are two of the University of Florida lacrosse team's most passionate fans. They stood most of time at Dizney Stadium on Sunday afternoon during Florida's game against Loyola, cheering on the Gators and sharing suggestions the referees seemed to ignore.

"They come to everything far and close,'' Madisyn said. "I'm lucky to have them."

Madisyn looks up to her sister, Gators goalkeeper Kenzii Kittell, too. Madisyn and 4-foot-10 Kenzii started playing lacrosse together in the third grade and are now teammates at UF.

That's a long way from the frozen fields around Syracuse, N.Y., where they grew up.

"I don't even know how I played four years in high school there. I was bundled up head to toe every practice and it was awful,'' Madisyn said. "As soon as I saw my shot to get down here with my sister, I took it."

In reality, 4-foot-7 Madisyn Kittell looks up to most people. Still, she had reason to feel 6-feet-tall on Sunday after Florida's 17-16 overtime victory over Loyola. The smallest player on the field – seriously, like she hasn't read that line before – made perhaps the biggest impact.

Kittell came off the bench in a seesaw game against the Greyhounds and scored a pair of second-half goals. They were her first goals of the young season after limited action in the first two games.

Florida head coach Amanda O'Leary was searching for a spark after the Gators came out "flat" in her view, mixing and matching different lineups. They trailed 8-7 at halftime and fell behind 11-7 before scoring four goals in a span of 160 seconds to tie the game.

A sophomore attacker who chipped in 12 goals in 15 games last year, Kittell delivered energy and production on a sunny and hot Sunday afternoon that forced her to take a dip in the cold tank after the game.

MADISYN. KITTELL.

Here's the scoop and score by @MadisynKitell that took us to overtime! #FLax #GoGators pic.twitter.com/svGZfo9bbr
— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) February 25, 2018

"We put her in for that reason,'' O'Leary said. "She is someone that works incredibly hard at practice every day and sometimes doesn't get the time. But when she does get the time, she makes the most of it. She certainly showed that."

Kittell's first goal of the season tied the match 12-all with 15 minutes, 54 seconds remaining. The Gators then took their first lead of the game less than four minutes later on an unassisted goal by Grace Haus.

Loyola refused to fold, however, and scored four of the next five goals to grab a 16-14 lead when Livy Rosenzweig scored a free-position goal with 2:27 left. The Gators answered with a free-position goal of their own from Lindsey Ronbeck with 1:58 remaining, but with Loyola in possession and the Gators down one, time was running out.

So was hope. Then came Kittell to the rescue.

With the Greyhounds moving down the field, Kittell intercepted a cross-field pass and sprinted into Loyola territory as the crowd jumped to its feet, anticipating a potential game-tying opportunity.

Instead, the referees halted play shortly thereafter, causing O'Leary and her assistants to protest the stoppage in play and subsequent turnover. They emphatically asked what the call was. They still did not have a clear answer 30 minutes after the game, but thanks to Kittell, the inexplicable sequence became irrelevant.

On the ensuing inbounds play, Kittell scooped up a turnover and then got a shot past Greyhounds goalie Kady Glynn who was trying to defend her from behind the net.

"I noticed no one else was open, so I'm like, 'oh, I'll go grab the goalie.' And I played her. She fortunately dropped the ball, I picked it up and just thought about my teammates and myself and how much hard work we put in to get to this point. And I just netted it. It's pretty simple."

The goal turned the momentum to Florida's favor and it didn't let up in overtime, with Shayna Pirreca's game-winning goal coming barely two minutes into the extra session.

Pirreca was more expressive talking about Kittell's goal than her own.

"Oh my god,'' she said. "That was amazing. I've never been so happy. I'm extremely proud of her, coming off the bench and just having so much confidence out there. She did amazing. She comes out at practice every single day and plays exactly like that. I think that's why she had so much confidence coming off the bench and going into this game."

Kittell called the goal the most exciting moment of her college career individually. While she is impossible to miss on the field, she arrived at UF with a healthy résumé.

Kittell scored 40 goals and added 20 assists during her senior season at West Genesee (N.Y.) High. She earned First Team All-Central New York honors three consecutive seasons and was named MVP at the 2016 Lake Placid Tournament.

When No. 1 enters the game, you better not overlook her.

"Her height gives her a huge advantage,'' O'Leary said. "And she's just so dang quick. She can turn on a dime. It just makes her such a different attacker than a lot of people see because she is kind of on the shorter side. She certainly used all those attributes to her advantage. Gosh, what a great moment for her."

Asked how her height helps her game, Kittell said: "I hear a lot that everyone can't guard me, and I think that means they can't low enough. I guess defenders look at your hips and my hips are so low compared to everyone else's. I guess they just watch my hips and no one can get down that low. I have definitely learned to use my height to my advantage."

Once Kittell finished up a postgame interview, it was across the street to join her parents, teammates and their families at a tailgate party.

They had plenty to talk about, but no tall tales needed. Not on this day.

"It was so much fun to play in,'' Kittell said. "I never gave up. I just hoped to play my part and I think I did that."