GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 13th-ranked Florida lacrosse team put together a stellar performance under the lights on Wednesday night, topping the third-ranked Syracuse Orange at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
For the fourth time this season, Danielle Pavinelli led Florida’s offensive attack, posting a team-high four goals. Maggi Hall and Ashley Gonzalez each found the back of the cage three times in the game, tying their career-best marks.
Emma LoPinto added two goals of her own in the victory, while Emily Heller and Emerson Cabrera each netted one.
LoPinto dished out four assists to bring her to six total points on the night, followed by two from Pavinelli and one from Hall.
Liz Harrison led the way in the draw circle for Florida, posting six in the game, while Heller added three of her own.
The Gator defense held Syracuse to its season-low scoring output on Wednesday night and held them to just a .385 shooting percentage. Emma Wightman led the way with a career-high four caused turnovers, followed by three from Leigh Lingo. Maggi Hall added two of her own, while Pavinelli, Maeson Tydings and Catherine Moriarty each pitched in one.
Maeson Tydings recorded a career-high four groundballs, followed by two apiece from Lingo and Pavinelli.
Sarah Reznick tallied 11 saves in the game while only allowing 10 goals, recording a .524 save percentage on the night.
The Gators are back in action on Sunday against Drexel in Philadelphia, Pa. Opening draw is slated for 11 a.m. at Vidas Field.
Records
No. 13 Florida (3-4, 0-0 AAC)
No. 3 Syracuse (6-2, 3-0 ACC)
How it Happened
* The Gators had all the momentum in the first quarter of the game, taking a 6-0 lead against the Orange. Maggi Hall came out with back-to-back goals within the first four minutes of the frame to put Florida up 2-0, then Danielle Pavinelli found the back of the cage with 10:18 left in the first to keep Florida rolling.
* Emma LoPinto scored her first of the day on a diving unassisted goal to put the Gators up four, while Emily Heller followed with an unassisted score of her own to give Florida the 5-0 advantage with 3:08 remaining in the first quarter.
* The Gators would score one final time in the first frame, with LoPinto finding a cutting Ashley Gonzalez with less than a minute left to play. After a scoreless 14:36 from the Florida defense, Syracuse got on the board with a goal with 24 seconds left in the quarter.
* Florida scored first in the second frame on a breakaway goal from LoPinto with the assist bt Pavinelli, but Syracuse cut the deficit to five just under one minute later.
* Pavinelli put the Gators back up six with her 24th goal of the season, but the Orange were able to score two goals within 14 seconds to pull within four with 5:34 left to play in the second frame.
* Emerson Cabrera found the back of the cage with just over four minutes remaining in the half to put Florida back up five, but once again Syracuse answered to keep the score within four goals.
* With just six seconds left in the first half, Hall scored her third goal of the game on a dish pass from LoPinto to give Florida all of the momentum heading into the break.
* Coming out of the locker room, Florida struck first, with Pavinelli notching a hat trick of her own to put Florida up 11-5. The Orange would answer just under a minute left, but back-to-back goals from Gonzalez gave Florida all the control to end the third quarter.
* Syracuse outscored Florida 4-1 in the final frame, but Povinelli’s fourth goal of the day was enough to put the game away for Florida and give the Gators their first Top-5 win of the season.
Notables
* Danielle Pavinelli has now recorded a hat trick in six games this season
* The Gators improve to 5-8 against the Orange in the all-time series
* UF is now 3-3 against Syracuse in Gainesville, Fla.
* Florida owns an impressive 110-21 (.840) record in the confines of Donald R. Dizney Stadium
* Florida boasts a 36-8 (.818) record all-time in night games (starting after 6 p.m.)
* When scoring at least 14 goals, the Gators are 153-2 (.987) in program history
* Streaking: Sarah Reznick has now recorded a save in 36-straight games, the third-longest streak in program history
Career-Highs
* Maggi Hall and Ashley Gonzalez each tied their career-high with three goals
* Hall also tied her career-best mark with two caused turnovers
* Emma Wightman recorded a career-high four caused turnovers
* Maeson Tydings picked a career-best four groundballs
* Josie Hahn and Catherine Moriarty tied their career-highs with one groundball
Insight from O’Leary
* “We came out really prepared tonight. Our scout team offense and our scout team defense really set us up for success with our starters. This was a total team win and it was great to see how much energy the team came to play with tonight.”
Up Next
* The Gators are back in action on Sunday when the team travels to Philadelphia, Pa. to take on Drexel
* Opening draw is slated for 11 a.m. at Vidas Field
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