Florida advances to its seventh NCAA Quarterfinal in 13 years as a program
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The seventh-seeded Florida lacrosse team was too much for the No. 17 Jacksonville Dolphins, with UF topping JU 15-10 on Sunday afternoon at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
With the win, the Gators advance to their seventh NCAA Quarterfinal in program history, including back-to-back seasons. Florida now sits at 17-4 and are winners of 15-straight games heading into the round of eight.
The 15-game stretch ties the longest winning streak that the Gators have secured in program history (2012, 2021).
Danielle Pavinelli led the Florida offensive attack, posting a team-high five goals on the afternoon. Josie Hahn added a career-high three, while Paisley Eagan, Maggi Hall and Emma LoPinto each netted two apiece and Bella Palagonia rounded out the scorers with one.
Those five goals for Pavinelli pushed her over the 100-career goal precipice, making her the 15th Gator to hit the mark.
Hall dished out a team-high two helpers on the afternoon, while Emily Heller and Pavinelli each registered one in the victory.
Florida won 12 draw controls on the day, led by six from Liz Harrison. Hahn, Heller and Shelton Sawers each came up with two draws of their own in the win.
The Gator defense held Jacksonville to 10-of-33 shooting (.303) in the game and caused 11 turnovers as a team. Heller posted a team-high three caused turnovers, followed by two from Emma Wightman.
Leigh Lingo and Hall each picked up three groundballs in the victory, followed by two apiece from Heller, Wightman and Sarah Reznick.
Reznick had a lights out day in the cage, recording 12 saves with a .545 save percentage during her 60:00 between the pipes.
The Gators are back in action for the NCAA Quarterfinals against No. 2 Maryland on Thursday in College Park, Md. Game times will be set once all Second Round games are completed.
Records
No. 8 Florida (17-4)
No. 17 Jacksonville (14-5)
How it Happened
* Florida got on the board 40 seconds into the game when Josie Hahn found the back of the cage on a pass from Emily Heller, but the Dolphins netted the equalizer just under a minute later to tie the game 1-1.
* The Gators then strung together a 4-0 run to take the 5-1 lead into the media timeout. Paisley Eagan kicked off the run after picking up the loose ball and was followed by a free-position conversion from Bella Palagonia to put UF up 3-1.
* Maggi Hall continued the Florida scoring, posting her first of the day on a pass from Danielle Pavinelli, then Hall found Hahn to put UF up 5-1 with 5:13 left in the frame.
* Both teams were scoreless through the end of the first, but Jacksonville posted back-to-back goals to start the second to pull within two at 5-3.
* Florida once again had the answer, scoring four-straight goals to garner the six-goal advantage. The run started with a diving goal from Emma LoPinto and then Pavinelli netted three-straight, bringing her to 100 goals in her career.
* Jacksonville got one back to cut the lead to five with 2:52 left in the half, but Pavinelli tallied her fourth of the day with under a minute left to play to give Florida the 10-4 lead going into the locker room.
* Coming out of the halftime break, JU scored the first two goals to pull within four at 10-6, but Hall secured her second goal of the day to extend the lead back to five.
* Two of the final three goals of the third period belonged to Jacksonville, but sandwiched between them was Pavinelli’s fifth score of the game. Florida took the 12-8 lead into the final frame with a trip to the Quarterfinals on the line.
* Eagan led off the fourth quarter with her second goal of the day just over a minute in before JU responded to cut the deficit back to four with 8:52 remaining in the game. The Gators scored two of the next three goals to cement the victory and move on to the team’s second-straight Quarterfinal appearance.
Notables
* The five goals by Danielle Pavinelli are the second-highest total in an NCAA Tournament game in program history
* This is Florida’s seventh time advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals in program history and the Gators have now made it in back-to-back seasons
* Florida improves to 12-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament
* UF is now winners of 15-straight games, with the last loss coming on March 9 (Loyola). Those 15 games tie the mark for the longest unbeaten streak in program history
* The Gators are now 12-1 against Jacksonville, including a 2-0 record in the 2022 campaign
* Florida is 116-21 (.847) in the friendly confines of Donald R. Dizney Stadium
* When scoring at least 14 goals, the Gators are 165-2 in program history
* With her five goals today, Danielle Pavinelli became Florida’s 15th 100-goal scorer
* With her two points this afternoon, Emma LoPinto now sits just four points away from the 100-point milestone. She would be the first Florida freshman to hit the mark and will be the 20th Gator overall
* Streaking: Sarah Reznick has tallied a save in 50-straight games, the second-longest streak in program history
* Streaking: Danielle Pavinelli has registered a point in 24-straight games and a goal in 21-straight games
* Streaking: Emma LoPinto has tallied a point in 18-straight games
* Streaking: Emily Heller had recorded a draw control in 21-straight games, the sixth-longest streak in program history
* Streaking: Liz Harrison has recorded a draw control in 18-straight games, tied for the eighth-longest streak in program history
Insight from O’Leary
* “We talk about coming out in the first five minutes and we did that today. It was fun to see us get out of the blocks early – it was a little different than the way we played on Friday. We stepped up, played hard and got some draw controls and goals early, creating some great momentum.”
Up Next
* The Gators head to the No. 2 Maryland Terrapins for the NCAA Quarterfinal game on Thursday
* Once all Second Round games are completed today, game times for each site will be assigned
#FLax
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