GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 10 Florida lacrosse team (4-2) handed the No. 7 Loyola University of Maryland lacrosse team (5-1) their first loss of the year on Saturday afternoon at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
Loyola played a physical game and controlled most of the possession throughout, but a six goal fourth quarter pushed the Gators to victory. The Gators were forced to play catch-up for most of the game but never let the deficit grow larger than two. Gators head coach Amanda O’Leary said, “we’ve been through adversity before and didn’t quit… we stuck to our game plan and finished out that game so well.”
Down 7-5 at half, the Gators only conceded four goals in the second half, thanks in part to a stellar performance from the goalkeeper, Sarah Reznick. Reznick had 11 saves and a .500 save percentage for the game. The Gators defense also went 14 for 15 in successful clearances. Reznick played with a chip on her shoulder after her last two losses to Loyola in the last three years. “This was a really big redemption game and I wanted to beat them since I haven’t,” Reznick said.
Florida had a potent attack against the Greyhounds which led to two hat-tricks from Emily Heller and Maggi Hall. Danielle Pavinelli, Paisley Eagan, and Ava Tighe all accounted for two goals. Ashley Gonzalez and Madison Waters scored a goal as well.
Gonzalez led the way with three assists and Eagan and Pavinelli each had one as well. Gonzalez’s four points were a team high.
The Gators went a perfect 4 for 4 on free-position shots to set the tone on offense. Heller led the team in draws controlled with five.
The Gators will be back in action on Tuesday night when they host the Colgate Raiders at 6:30 p.m.