Florida Gators lacrosse takes down no.13 Denver

Special report on the Florida Gators lacrosse team:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida women’s lacrosse team (8-1, 2-0) took down the No. 13 Denver Pioneers (7-2, 1-1), 15-8 on Saturday afternoon to extend their winning streak to eight games.

The 15 goals scored by the Gators were the most Denver had allowed in a game all season. Entering today’s tilt, the Pioneers ranked seventh in the NCAA in only allowing 7.75 goals per game, with a season high of just 10.

Florida used a 9-1 run stretching over 21 minutes of game action to take command of the game after being in a 2-2 tie with 20:23 remaining in the first half. During that run, sophomore midfielder Caroline Benitez recorded the first goal and assists of her career.

Junior Shayna Pirreca led the Gator attack with three goals and three assists to tie her career-high of six points. Seniors Sammi Burgess (two goals, three assists) and Mollie Stevens (five goals) each chipped in five points. Stevens also added four ground balls and six draw controls.

The Gator defense suffocated Denver’s offense for most of the afternoon, limiting the Pioneers to just eight goals on 27 shot attempts. Senior Taylor Bresnahan tied her career-high with four caused turnovers, which brought her school record to 77 in her career.

Sophomore goalkeeper Haley Hicklen turned in another outstanding performance in the cage, logging her fourth complete outing of the season with 12 saves and a .600 save percentage. Hicklen has registered at least 10 saves and a .500 save percentage in four out of Florida’s nine games.
#PirrecaPower
Pirreca sisters Shayna and Sydney combined for five goals, three assists, three ground balls, and two draw controls against the Pioneers. For the season, #PirrecaPower has accounted for 35% (52/150) of Florida’s scoring.

Records:

No. 3 Florida: 8-1 (2-0)

No. 13 Denver: 7-2 (1-1)

Notable:

*        After scooping up two ground balls against the Pioneers, Caroline Fitzgerald needs just nine more to become Florida’s all-time ground balls leader.

*        Sammi Burgess is only 15 points away from becoming the fifth Gator to amass 200 career points, after scoring five points versus Denver.

*        The Gators have won their last 13 BIG EAST games dating back to 2015.

*        Mollie Stevens already ranks seventh on the single-season list for draw controls with 55. The most draw controls won in a season is 83, done by Shannon Gilroy in 2012.

*        With 84 saves through nine games, Haley Hicklen is on pace to break the single-season save record of 145, set by Mikey Meagher in 2012.

O’Leary’s Insight:

“Credit Denver for a great game plan. They came out in the second half ready to go, and capitalized on our mistakes. At the same time, I thought our team was able to make some needed adjustments during the game as well. Overall I’m really pleased with the team effort today, and we’re looking forward to a tough game at Maryland.”

Up Next

The Gators will travel to College Park, Md. to take on the No. 1 Maryland Terrapins (8-0) on March 29.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.