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The No. 8 Gators lacrosse team proved their talent as they took the unranked Cardinals by storm in Louisville on Saturday. 

Winning 14-7, Florida brought their distinctive drive and hunger to the field.

At the beginning of the first half, Florida was down 1-0. They made a sharp turnaround and showed endurance, however. 

Senior attacker Grace Haus broke through roughly six minutes into the game and didn’t look back. She scored two more goals in the game and totaled nine shots. 

The Cardinals led 2-1 soon after and the shaky Gators quickly changed their agenda. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Paisley Eagan scored a powerful overhand shot to tie the game 1-1. 

The game was all uphill from there.

Florida took a stronghold on the second half, scoring seven goals to Louisville’s three.  

Senior midfielder Shannon Kavangh showed her dominance across the field with three goals on nine shots. She was the go-to face-off player throughout the game’s entirety as well. Kavangh broke 200 career points with her powerful performance. 

Senior attacker Kassidy Bresnahan and and Eagan shined in the game as they recorded three goals and two goals, respectively. 

Florida left their plays up to strategy on the offense as the score gap grew apparent. 

With 90 seconds before a turnover, attackers were running down the shot-clock left and right to kill game time. The Gators let play die down to a mere eight seconds before shooting but missed the goal. 

If the shot attempt were to be a few seconds earlier, Florida could’ve had another scoring opportunity and more points in their belt at the game’s conclusion. 

The Gators had a bit of a challenge going into the game.   

On top of it being an opener for the 2021 season, the Cardinals had home advantage. Though no fans appeared to be in attendance, the snowy weather was atypical for the Florida team. 

Coaches bundled up in thick bubble coats and players wrapped themselves in plastic tarp. Still, the weather didn’t slow down the hungry Gators. If anything, it motivated the team to persevere. 

Florida topped off their win with goal number 14 in the game’s final six minutes. Haus scored with a pop shot as the final goal and got a hat trick in doing so. 

They started off their season on a high note and brought the traditional Gator game to the field. With the bar now set high, the team’s season-long success is open to great possibility. 

The Gators play against North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Friday, Feb. 19. At 12 p.m. The game will be live-streamed on ESPN+.