SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 3 University of Florida lacrosse team (4-2) was unable to overcome a strong showing from No. 8 Syracuse (4-1, 0-1) on Wednesday afternoon, dropping a 17-15 decision in the Carrier Dome.
After a back-and-forth first half that featured four lead changes, the Gators entered halftime trailing 9-8, with
Shayna Pirreca picking up five first half points.
A
Caroline Benitez goal with 12:11 remaining in the first half gave the Gators an 8-7 lead, but Florida was only able to score one goal over the next 29 minutes of game time.
Syracuse capitalized on the Florida drought and went on a 9-1 run during that stretch, building a 16-9 lead with 13:07 left in regulation.
Senior midfielder
Allie Pavinelli sparked UF's furious 5-0 run to close the game by finding Benitez in front of the cage for a quick-stick goal. Pavinelli would go on to score Florida's next two goals, along with
Lindsey Ronbeck and
Shayna Pirreca to narrow the final margin to two.
Florida was dominant in the draw circle, outdueling the Orange, 23-11. Defender
Sabrina Cristodero set a Florida freshman record by winning nine draws, while
Shannon Kavanagh and
Sydney Pirreca each came away with five.
The Gator offense was led by
Shayna Pirreca's career-high seven points (four goals, three assists), and a trio of hat tricks from
Lindsey Ronbeck (three goals),
Sydney Pirreca (three assists), and
Allie Pavinelli (three goals, one assist).
Defensively,
Cara Trombetta came away with two caused turnovers, while
Haley Hicklen saved seven goals in 56:32 of action. The Gator defense only allowed Syracuse's starting offensive attack to score eight goals.
Records:
No. 3 Florida: 4-2 (0-0)
No. 8 Syracuse: 4-1 (0-1)
Notable:
- Head Coach Amanda O'Leary is looking to become just the fifth coach in the history of Division I women's lacrosse to win 300 games in her career. O'Leary is currently 297-98 in 23 seasons as a head coach.
- Haley Hicklen needs just three saves to move into second place all-time at Florida.
- #PirrecaPower: Pirreca sisters Shayna and Sydney have combined to score 36% (34/95) of UF's goals in 2018.
- Shayna Pirreca has scored a goal in 26 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in UF history.
- The Gators are 17-18 all-time against Top-10 opponents
O'Leary's Insight:
"After coming out a little flat, I am proud of the way this team came together and fought their way back in to the game. I think we did a fantastic job in the draw circle today, with Shannon (Kavanagh) giving Sabrina (Cristodero) and Syd (Pirreca) the ability to give us possession. Syracuse played a great game today; give all the credit to them. We will use the next few days to recover and prepare for a talented Navy team."
Up Next
Florida will get several days to rest before battling its fourth ranked opponent in a row, with the No. 11 Navy Midshipmen (5-1) set to visit Gainesville on March 13.
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