Maggi Hall, Emily Heller and Sarah Falk combined for 13 goals.
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The No. 10 Florida lacrosse team improved to 3-0 in conference play, defeating East Carolina by a score of 19-7 on Saturday afternoon. It was the Gators 12th consecutive win, pushing them to 12-2 on the season, as East Carolina drops to 3-10 overall and 0-4 in AAC play.
Florida was led by the trio of Maggi Hall, Emily Heller and Sarah Falk, who combined for 13 goals on the day. Hall scored five goals, good her third game this season with at least that amount. Heller and Falk scored four each, with it being Falk’s first career hat-trick as a Gator and a season high in goals. Madison Waters, Danielle Pavinelli, Ashley Gonzalez, Paisley Eagan, Josie Hahn and Jackie Norsworthy each scored one apiece.
UF won the assist battle 6-4, as Heller led the way with two assists, along with an assist each from Hall, Gonzalez, Eagan and Delaney Radin.
Florida never trailed in this one, and led by as many as 13 goals. The Pirates cut the Gators lead to just three in the second quarter, but UF used a 6-0 run to end the quarter giving them some breathing room heading into the half.
Florida outshot the Pirates 31-23, and had 26 shots on target compared to East Carolina’s 14. The Gators dominated the draw control battle once again, winning that 19-9, as Liz Harrison led the way with 11 draw controls. This was good for her ninth straight game in double digits.
Elyse Finnelle earned the first win of her career, saving seven East Carolina shots on a .500 save percentage.
How It Happened
* After Maria Pansini won the opening draw, Heller ripped a shot going to her right that Brynn Knight got a piece of. Gonzalez then began the restart from behind the net, weaving her way around before finding the back of the cage, putting Florida up 1-0.
* Hall then scored back-to-back goals, one assisted from Heller and the other being unassisted off a dodge from the right side to put Florida up three with 9:12 remaining.
* 55 seconds later, Falk had a shot deflected, that trickled into the goal making it 4-0 Gators.
* Following a Pirates goal, Heller led Waters perfectly into the attacking third, where she coasted in for a lefty finish, pushing the lead back to four.
* The two teams exchanged goals to end the quarter, with Heller closing it on a strong dodge to the right, ripping it passed the keeper, as Florida led 6-2 after one.
Second Quarter
* With 13:34 left, East Carolina opened the second quarter scoring, but Heller answered 40 seconds later, this time dodging to her left for the southpaw bar down finish, as it was a four-goal advantage for the orange and blue.
* A little under three minutes later, Falk was moving to her left approaching the crease, where finessed the righty shot into the top right corner for her 200th career point. The Gators led 8-3.
* There were no goals until 5:44 left, where UF scored four consecutive times to end the half. Pavinelli, Heller and back-to-back goals from Hall concluded a 6-1 second quarter for the Gators, giving them a 12-3 lead at halftime. Hall and Heller combined for seven of Florida’s 12 goals, each having hat-tricks.
Third Quarter
* East Carolina struck first, but the Gators responded, as Hall drew shooting space and converted on the eight-meter opportunity, pushing the lead back to nine.
* Eagan got in on the scoring action, hitting her defender with a fake spin before ripping it into the back of the net, making it 14-4 with 10:25 left.
* UF scored two more consecutive goals, one from Hahn, and the other from Heller just 12 seconds after the draw, extending the lead to a dozen.
* Each team scored a goal to end the quarter, as Falk scored her first hat-trick as a Gator making the lead a dozen after three.
Fourth Quarter
* Falk scored her fourth goal of the game off an assist from Radin, as the Gators led 18-5 with 12:57 remaining.
* After two Pirates goals, Norsworthy iced the game in the final seconds, converting on a free position shot, making it 19-7.
Coach O’Leary’s Insight
“It was a great day for the Gators. We played a solid game from start to finish. Once again, we saw a lot of success in the draw circle which is a huge advantage. Offensively, we had very good production, with a lot of different players scoring. Defensively we had a very strong showing against a potent attacking team. Overall, I am very happy with this win and look forward to playing James Madison next week.”
Key Notes
* Florida improves to 8-0 all-time against East Carolina, and 3-0 on the road against the Pirates
* Finnelle earned her first career win in net
* Sarah Falk earned her 200th career point, and her four goals were a career high in a Florida uniform
Season/Career Highs
* Sarah Falk – season high four goals
* Ashley Gonzalez – season high four ground balls
* Sam Hughes – season high two ground balls
Active Streaks (eight games or better)
* Maggi Hall<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/maggi-hall/16408>: points (33)
* Madison Waters<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/madison-waters/16420>: points (22)
* Emily Heller<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/emily-heller/16410>: points (21), goals (16)
* Liz Harrison: draw controls (15)
* Paisley Eagan: points (13)
* Danielle Pavinelli: points (13)
* Ashley Gonzalez: points (12)
* Sarah Falk: points (10)
Next up
The Gators return home for a battle against AAC rival and No. 12 James Madison, next Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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