Early on in the season, Florida’s schedule was filled with top-25 opponents. The Gators played five ranked opponents before beginning American Conference play, losing all but one match against No. 3 Syracuse.
On Wednesday, Amanda O’Leary’s squad again stepped away from its conference schedule and emerged victorious over another top team.
No. 8 Florida (12-4, 4-0 AAC) defeated No. 22 Jacksonville (11-4, 5-0 SoCon) 12-6 in Gainesville. The Gators’ win streak is now extended to 10 games with the home finale win.
Both teams got out to a solid start before Florida ran away with the match. UF opened up the first five minutes with three goals, two of which belonging to Danielle Pavinelli. Jacksonville responded with to goals of its own before the Gators caught some momentum.
Florida scored nine goals in the first half. Emily Heller led the game with a hat trick. Four Gators scored twice while sophomore Ashley Gonzalez added on a point of her own.
UF’s defense ended up holding Jacksonville to a measly .194 shooting percentage. Goalie Sarah Reznick finished with 11 saves and a 47% save percentage. The redshirt sophomore has recorded a save in 45-straight games, the second longest streak in program history.
“Defensively, we had much more confidence bringing the ball up and out and finding the open players,” O’Leary said.
The Gators rode the momentum to a a victory in the penultimate game of the season.
Up next, Florida has its final game of the regular season against AAC opponent East Carolina. The Pirates are 9-7 and 2-2 in conference.
They came out on top against Cincinnati on April 23. The Gators seem primed for an American Conference tournament runs and have NCAA tournament aspirations, but they will need to remain focused before the postseason arrives.
First draw is set for Saturday at 11 a.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.