GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Senior Day was a massive success, as the No. 10 Florida lacrosse team (15-2, 6-0) defeated the Temple Owls (9-6, 4-2) by a score of 18-7. The Gators clinched the outright AAC regular-season title with this win, improving their total as a program to 12 conference championships.
Seven different Gators scored, led by the sticks of
Danielle Pavinelli (five goals),
Maggi Hall (four goals, three assists) and
Sarah Falk (four goals) who combined for 13 of the team's 18 goals, and 16 of the team's 28 points.
Gianna Monaco totaled two goals, along with one from
Josie Hahn,
Gabbi Koury and
Jackie Norsworthy.
Florida had 10 assists compared to Temple's two, which is good for their 10th game this season with double-digit assists.
Ashley Gonzalez had a team and season high of four assists on the afternoon, along with three from Hall. Monaco tied a career-high with two assists, and
Paisley Eagan dished out one.
With UF being up 2-1 at the end of the first frame, they used a 9-2 second quarter run to open things up and creating an eight-goal lead at halftime.
The Gators won the draw control battle 18-10, led by
Liz Harrison who totaled nine on the afternoon. She became the 25th player in Division l history to reach the 400-career milestone, when she won the opening draw. Harrison sits two draw controls shy of 200 for the season.
UF controlled the ground balls (15-13), and caused turnovers (12-4) battle, led by
Maria Pansini on the ground who had a season high three ground balls, while
Madison Waters and
Hannah Heller totaled three caused turnovers each. Florida outshot the Owls 35-22, including putting 33 shots on net, good for a season high .943 shot on goal percentage.
Elyse Finnelle totaled her four-consecutive win, making eight saves. This was her fourth straight start that she had a save percentage over .500.
How it Happened
- The first six minutes featured four saves from Taylor Grollman, but the Gators finally broke through, off an unassisted score from Falk to give Florida the 1-0 lead at the 8:58 mark.
- 56 seconds later, the Gators extended their lead to 2-0 on Pavinelli's 38th goal of the year, off the assist from Hall.
- A Temple goal at the 5:04 mark was the last goal of the quarter, as the Gators led 2-1 after one.
Second Quarter
- Florida came out hot, with Pavinelli scoring 23 seconds into the second quarter to give the Gators a 3-1 lead.
- The Gators then jumped out to a 5-1 lead after back-to-back goals by Hall (11:43, 10:38), one unassisted, and one from Monaco.
- After a goal by the Owl's, Florida scored the next three goals in a 74 second span to extend their lead to 8-2. Two goals came from Pavinelli, and one came from Hall.
- After another goal from Temple, the Gators answered with three straight again, with goals coming from Hall, Monaco and Falk respectively. After a 9-2 second quarter, the Gators took an 11-3 lead going into half.
Third Quarter
- Florida continued its offensive prowess. Following a Hannah Heller caused turnover, the Gators converted off a goal from Monaco, assisted by Gonzalez, to make it 12-3 with 12:29 left.
- The Owls connected with two scores, but UF answered with two of their own, one from Koury off Gonzalez's fourth assist of the game. The other was off a free-position shot from Falk, to give UF a 14-5 lead going into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
- Florida outscored the Owls 3-1 in the first five minutes to maintain its 11-goal lead. Hahn Pavinelli and Falk, all found the back of the net.
- After a player up score from Temple, Norsworthy put the icing on the cake, as the Senior ripped an eight-meter shot passed the goalkeeper, to complete an 18-7 victory.
Coach O'Leary's Insight
"We are so grateful for all of our seniors! What an awesome opportunity it was to be able to honor them and play for a regular season championship. They are a backbone to this team and deserve this championship and more."
Key Notes
- The Gators secure their 12th regular season title, good for the fifth Conference Title of all Florida athletics in 2023-2024. They join women's cross country, gymnastics, and men's and women's swimming and diving. Overall, Florida now has 277 conference titles.
- This is the 10th season they have completed an undefeated conference play. They improve to 134-123 at home overall, and conclude a 31-1 record in AAC play.
- Harrison became the 25th player in Division l to reach 400 draw controls.
- Hall moved into 12th all-time in goals, scoring her sixth hat-trick of the season
- Pavinelli recorded her seventh hat-trick of the season, while Falk recorded her second
- Gonzalez moved into fourth all-time in assists with her four on the day
- Florida's 18-7 victory marks the Gators 12th win by 10 or more goals this season.
Season/Career Highs
Active Streaks (eight games or better)
Next up
No. 10 Florida (15-2, 10-0 AAC) will travel to Nashville Thursday, for a matchup against fourth seeded Vanderbilt at 5:30 ET in the American Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals.
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