Florida Gators lacrosse defeats Georgetown with big second half

Special report on the Florida Gators lacrosse team:
WASHINGTON – For the third time this season, the University of Florida lacrosse team (7-3, 2-0) mounted a comeback of four goals or more, this time to defeat the Georgetown Hoyas (5-3, 1-1) on Saturday at Cooper Field.

Georgetown opened the game with a 3-0 lead barely five minutes into the first half, before a Shayna Pirreca goal put the Gators on the board at 24:22. The Hoyas would ultimately build an 8-4 lead midway through the first half, entering halftime up by three scores at 8-5.

The Gators either trailed or faced a tied score for over 50 minutes of game time; with Caroline Benitez’s second goal of the afternoon giving UF a 12-11 lead with 9:53 left in the second half. Florida would go on to close out the final 15 minutes of the BIG EAST clash on a 7-0 run to cement its victory.

Florida’s defensive unit was stellar in the second half, limiting Georgetown to only three goals on nine shot attempts, and forcing 10 Hoya turnovers. The Gators also dominated possession in the draw circle late in the game; with a 10-5 advantage in the second half to take a 16-13 edge overall.

Freshman Grace Haus led Florida’s scoring attack, tying her career high with four goals including a 2-3 performance on free position attempts. Shannon Kavanagh (three goals, three assists) and Sydney Pirreca each recorded a hat trick, while Caroline Benitez and Allie Pavinelli both chipped in two goals.

Cara Trombetta anchored UF’s defensive efforts, causing two turnovers and scooping two ground balls while limiting Georgetown’s Francesca Whitehurst to two goals on four shots before Whitehurst exited the game due to injury. The sophomore has caused 17 turnovers in her last five outings.”

Junior goalkeeper Haley Hicklen logged her seventh game this season of at least 10 saves, earning the victory with a .476 save percentage. Hicklen also added a caused turnover and a ground ball in the winning effort.

Second Half Surge

After taking a 8-5 deficit into the locker room at halftime, the Gators came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, outscoring Georgetown 11-3 in the game’s final 30 minutes. During that stretch, UF outshot the Hoyas 26-9 and did not allow a single goal in the last 15 minutes. Sydney Pirreca sparked the Florida run, scoring her first goal just 18 seconds into the second half.

Records:

No. 6 Florida: 7-3 (2-0)

No. 24 Georgetown: 5-3 (1-1)

Notable:

* Head Coach Amanda O’Leary won her 300th career game against Georgetown.

* The Gators have won 24 consecutive games against BIG EAST opponents dating back to the 2015 season.

* #PirrecaPower: Pirreca sisters Shayna and Sydney have combined to score 36% (54/152) of UF’s goals in 2018.

* Shayna Pirreca has now scored a goal in 30 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in UF history. The senior is two games shy of passing Mollie Stevens (31) for the most all-time.

* Shannon Kavanagh’s six points were a career-high.

* Haley Hicklen leads the NCAA with 112 saves so far this season.

O’Leary’s Insight:

“This team refuses to give up when faced with adversity. Obviously, we leave this game with plenty to work on – But once again, these young women proved themselves to be resilient and mentally tough. I’m very pleased with their effort in the second half today, especially with the way we valued our possessions with the ball. We have a couple days to rest our legs and get better before hosting UConn.”

Up Next

The Gators will get several days to rest after playing three games in six days, with a home stand against the UConn Huskies (5-5, 1-1) set for next Saturday, March 31.

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.