Paisley Eagan tied her career high with four goals.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 11th ranked Florida lacrosse team got into the win column for the eighth-straight game, defeating Furman by a score of 23-7. The Gators improve to 8-2 on the year, as the Paladins drop to 2-7.
Florida had the lead for all but two minutes in this game, while leading by as many as 17 goals. 17 different Gators had a point, with 14 of them scoring a goal. Florida’s 13 goals in the first quarter was a program record for most goals in a quarter.
Paisley Eagan led the way, tying a career high four goals to go along with an assist. Ashley Gonzalez had her second hat-trick in three games, scoring three goals on the afternoon. Delaney Radin, Ava Tighe and Sarah Falk each had two goals, along with Madison Waters, Emily Heller, Maggi Hall, Gianna Monaco, Cate Isaacson, Makena Harrington, Gabbi Koury and Jackie Norsworthy having one apiece. The Gators have now scored 20 or more goals in six of the last seven games.
UF recorded 11 assists, good for their fifth consecutive game with double-digits. Danielle Pavinelli had a season-high four assists, accompanied by Celeste Forte and Ashley Dyer each recording their first assist of the season. This assist was Dyer’s first career point.
It was another day at the office for Liz Harrison, winning 17 draw controls, leading the Gators to a 22-9 team advantage in that category this afternoon. Harrison’s absurd season continues, as she has now had at least 15 draw controls in three straight games and four of her last five games. The senior sits at 121 draw controls this year, just seven shy of passing Sabrina Cristodero’s record of 127 in a season.
The defense held the opponent to under 10 goals for the sixth time this season. Kaitlyn Davies had a career-high three ground balls, as the Gators won the ground ball battle 16-9. Georgia Hoey earned her eighth win of the season, along with help from Elyse Finnelle who had four saves. Forte tied a career-high with two caused turnovers.
How It Happened
* 26 seconds into the game, the Gators scored off a Pavinelli to Gonzalez connection to make it 1-0.
* The Paladins answered 13 seconds later, as Anna Roser found the back of the net to even the score.
* The rest was all Florida, scoring 12 straight goals to end the quarter. Nine different Gators scored in the quarter, including a hat-trick from Eagan. At the 7:58 mark she scored her second between the legs goal this season, off an assist from Koury. Florida outshot the Paladins 18-3 in the quarter, setting a program record for a quarter with 13 goals. It was 13-1 after one.
Second Quarter
* Falk concluded a 13-0 Gators run, scoring off the Eagan assist to make it 14-1 with 12:54 remaining.
* Florida outscored the Paladins 2-1 the rest of the quarter, as Pavinelli found Eagan with six seconds left in the half to make it 16-2 going into the break. It was Pavinelli’s fourth assist of the game and Eagan’s fourth goal of the game.
Third Quarter
* Isaacson wasted no time, scoring an unassisted goal just 29 seconds into the quarter to make it 17-2 Gators.
* Following two goals from Furman, Tighe found Flobeck for the goal, making it 18-4 with 7:26 left in the quarter.
* After a Paladin’s goal, Dyer led the break in transition, finding Radin for the silky behind-the-back finish, increasing the lead to 19-5.
* Harrington followed with a goal of her own, giving Florida a 20-5 lead going into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
* UF had three different goal scorers in the fourth, with goals coming from Norsworthy, Flobeck and Radin increasing their total to 23 on the afternoon.
* Florida won all five draw controls in the fourth quarter, helping secure the 23-7 victory.
Coach O’Leary’s Insight
“I loved the way our team came out and played today. We saw so many unselfish plays on the offensive end, and quite a few top-notch defensive stances. We start conference play on Saturday, which is always an exciting time of year.”
Key Notes
* Florida moves to 4-0 at home this season, and winners of 12 straight in regular season home games
* The Gators set a record for most goals in a quarter with 13 in the first quarter
* Florida is now 2-0 in career meetings against Furman
* 23 goals tie the season-high for the team
* 17 different point scorers tie a program record
* Ashley Dyer recorded her first career point
* Florida has now scored first in all 10 games this season
Season/Career Highs
* Kaitlyn Davies – career high three ground balls
* Danielle Pavinelli – season high four assists
* Celeste Forte – season high two caused turnovers
Active Streaks (eight games or better)
* Maggi Hall<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/maggi-hall/16408>: points (29)
* Madison Waters<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/madison-waters/16420>: points (18)
* Emily Heller<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-lacrosse/roster/emily-heller/16410>: points (17), goals (12)
* Liz Harrison: draw controls (11)
* Paisley Eagan: points (9)
* Danielle Pavinelli: points (9)
* Gianna Monaco: points (8), goals (8)
Next up
The 11th ranked Gators will open up conference play this Saturday, as they host AAC counterpart Old Dominion at 12 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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