11th Ranked Gators go Wire-to-Wire in Win over UC Davis
12 different Gators found the back of the cage in third consecutive game of 20 or more goals
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Florida lacrosse team earned their fourth straight victory, defeating the UC Davis Aggies by a score of 21-7. It is the first time in program history that Florida has scored 20 or more goals in three or more consecutive games. The Gators improve to 4-2, snapping the Aggies five game winning streak, dropping them to 5-2.
Florida was led by Maggi Hall, Emily Heller and Liz Harrison who all had historic days in their own right. Hall, led the team with nine points, tying a career-high in that category while setting a career best and program record eight assists. Hall also became the 12th player in program history to reach the 200-point milestone. The Bel Air, Md. native came into this contest six points shy of 200, but it only took her a little under 15 minutes to record her sixth point of the afternoon. Hall currently has 13 goals and 17 assists on the season, sitting just four assists behind Ashley Bruns and and Brianna Harris for the most in school history.
Heller had four goals on the day, scoring her 100th career goal in the first quarter of todays game. She became the 18th player in Florida history to score 100 or more goals. The West Babylon, N.Y. native has 14 goals this season, and sits just 11 draw controls away from reaching 200 for her career. She would become the third player in the program to have 100 goals, 100 ground balls, and 200 draw controls.
Harrison had a milestone day of her own, winning a program record 19 draw controls. She broke the record of 16, which was previously set by her in April of 2023 against Penn. The senior currently has 61 draw controls on the season, averaging 12.25 over her last four game. Harrison currently sits third all-time in draw controls with 271.
Outside of Hall and Heller, the Gators had 10 others score, eight of them recording two or more points. Sarah Falk (two goals and one assist), Danielle Pavinelli (one goal and two assists) and Ashley Gonzalez (one goal and two assists) had three points each, along with Madison Waters, Gianna Monaco, Paisley Eagan, Cate Isaacson and Makenna Harrington having two goals apiece. This was Isaacson’s first career goal. Delaney Radin and Josie Hahn each found the back of the net as well.
Georgia Hoey and Elyse Finnelle continued their strong play in net, as Hoey earned her fourth win of the season saving four shots. Finnelle recorded two of her own, making it difficult for the Aggie offense.
Florida won the battle in every statistical category, including outshooting UC Davis 43-16 and winning 24 draw controls compared to the Aggies seven. 24 draw controls are tied for the second most for a game in school history.
Coach O’Leary’s Insight:
“This was a fantastic team win. We saw a lot of good things today at both ends of the field. Our draw team had a record day giving us plenty of offensive opportunities, along with us having some really good defensive stands. Overall, I’m very happy with this win, as we move on to San Diego State.”
How It Happened
* Florida came out fast, as Gonzalez and Monaco each scored one minute and 22 seconds into the game on setups from Waters and Hall to give them a 2-0 lead.
* Two minutes and 15 seconds later, off a Hoey save, the Gators showed their ability to get out on the fast break, with Waters leading the clear, finding Pavinelli, who found Gonzalez, who got it back to Waters for the textbook goal.
* After an Aggies player up free position goal, Falk had a slick dodge for the unassisted finish.
* Following another free position goal from the Aggies, Heller scored two goals in 11 seconds off assists from Pavinelli and Hall to make it 6-2 with 5:52 remaining.
* With it now 6-3, Hall found Falk for the behind the back finish pushing the lead to 7-3.
* Hall then assisted on goals to Gonzalez and Hahn to make it 9-3.
* With 14 seconds left in the quarter, Pavinelli found Hall, completing a six-point quarter for her putting Florida up 10-3.
* Harrison won 11 draws in the first.
Second Quarter
* Not much changed, as Pavinelli found the back of the net off an assist from Hall to make 11-3 with 10:37 left.
* Heller scored two straight, both being unassisted giving her four on the day. Florida led 13-3.
* The Gators scored three more goals to end the quarter. Falk found Monaco for a score, before Eagan scored two straight goals, including a through the legs finish to put Florida up 16-3 at half.
Third Quarter
* Harrington scored an unassisted goal to open up scoring in the second half, making it 17-3.
* Shortly after, Hall found Isaacson for the smooth finish making it 18-3. This was Hall’s eighth assist of the day, and Isaacson’s first career goal.
* Isaacson found the back of the net one more time in the quarter, giving Florida a 19-5 lead after three.
Fourth Quarter
* The fourth quarter featured two goals from the Gators, one from Radin and one from Harrington, both freshman’s third goals of the season.
* Brie Catts forced two turnovers in the fourth, with Florida outshooting the Aggies 6-3 in destination to the 21-7 win.
Key Notes
* This is the first three game span in Florida history of 20 or more goals
* Florida has outscored their opponent 64-17 over the last three games
* Isaacson scored her first career goal in the third quarter
* Falk had her first multi score game as a Gator
* Gonzalez is now sixth all-time in assists with 70
Active Streaks
* Maggi Hall<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/maggi-hall/16408>: points (25), goals (14)
* Madison Waters<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/madison-waters/16420>: points (14)
* Emily Heller<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/emily-heller/16410>: points (13)
Next Up
The Gators look to end the west coast trip on a high, as they take on San Diego State on Friday at 3 p.m. PST and 6 p.m. EST. The game will be streamed on their youtube channel.
Follow the Gators:
#FLax
Twitter<https://twitter.com/GatorsLAX>
Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/gatorslax?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==>
Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/GatorsLAX/>
