Florida Gators lacrosse wins midweek game at home

Special report on the Florida Gators lacrosse team:

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The eighth-ranked Florida lacrosse team put up a dominating offensive performance against Kennesaw State, defeating the Owls 21-6 on Wednesday afternoon.

Eleven Gators scored during the game, led by four goals from Grace Haus. Shannon Kavanagh and Brianna Harris both registered a hat trick, while Kaala Puglisi, Emerson Cabrera and Hannah Mardiney each pitched in two on the day.

Jill Quigley, Lexie Morton, Lexi Ashby and Shelton Sawers each registered a goal of their own – the first collegiate of each of their careers. Madisyn Kittell grabbed her first goal of the season and her 28th overall.

The team racked up eight assists, including two from Harris and two from Quigley.

The Gators won the draw circle, recording 19 draw controls on the day. Kavanagh notched a team-high six, followed by three from Emily Heller. Lexi Ashby and Maddie McMaster both notched a career-high two draw controls as well.

Defensively, Florida limited Kennesaw State’s leading scorers (Siena and Marissa Gore) to just 3-of-11 shooting. UF caused five turnovers on the afternoon, led by two from Cara Trombetta.

Sarah Reznick posted seven saves and allowed only four goals in 46:24 of play, notching a .636 save percentage. Kenzii Kittell recorded one save in her 13:36 in the cage.

The Gators are back in action on Saturday as the team welcomes No. 3 Stony Brook. Opening draw is set for 12 p.m. at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.

How It Happened

*   Kaala Puglisi got the Gators on the board first, scoring her first collegiate goal at the 29:18 mark. Shannon Kavanagh and Grace Haus then went back-to-back scoring just over a minute apart to give Florida the 3-0 advantage.
*   Brianna Harris quickly followed with her first goal of the day, putting Florida up 4-0 with 23:24 left in the first half. Emerson Cabrera registered her fourth goal of the season just over a minute later to continue UF’s scoring run (5-0).
*   The Owls got their first goal of the game with 18:19 left in the first half, but the Gators answered with a 3-0 run to go up 8-1 with 14:24 left in the half. Puglisi notched her second goal to kick start the run, while Lexie Morton followed with her first collegiate goal. Cabrera’s second goal of the day secured the seven-goal lead for Florida.
*   Kennesaw State got one back with 13:48remaining in the first half, but Florida followed with a 5-0 run, thanks in part to Haus’s second, third and fourth goals of the day.
*   During that run, Hannah Mardiney scored on an assist from Cara Trombetta, while Kavanagh posted her second goal of the day on an assist from Jill Quigley – the first point of her career. Kennesaw State scored with 1:35 left in the half, but the Gators took the 10-goal lead into the locker room.
*   Harris picked up right where Florida left off, scoring back-to-back goals to kick off the second half (15-3).
*   Mardiney continued Florida’s hot streak, notching her second goal of the day with 21:25remaining in the game, putting the Gators up 16-3.
*   Kennesaw State pulled to within 11 goals at 16-5, scoring back-to-back goals within two minutes of one another.
*   Florida closed out the game on a 5-1 run, with goals coming from Kavanagh, Madisyn Kittell, Shelton Sawers, Quigley and Lexi Ashby.
Records
No. 8 Florida (3-1)
Kennesaw State (1-2)
O’Leary’s Insight

*   “This was a great overall performance today, a true team win. We showed a lot of growth and people stepped up to the plate when they were needed. This was great experience for some of our younger players, who saw solid minutes.”
Notables

*   Kaala Puglisi recorded a career-high two goals, including the first of her career
*   Lexie Morton, Lexi Ashby, Jill Quigley and Shelton Sawers notched the first goal of their careers
*   Emily Heller recorded a career-high three draw controls on the day
*   Sarah Reznick allowed only four goals on the day, a career-best for the redshirt freshman
*   She also seven saves with a .636 clip
*   Maddie McMaster and Lexi Ashby both posted a career-high two draw controls
*   The Gators are now 1-0 against Kennesaw State in the all-time series
*   Shannon Kavanagh recorded six draw controls on the day, pushing her to 204 in her career
*   She is just the fourth Gator to record over 200 draw controls in her time at Florida
*   Brianna Harris is inching closer to becoming the 18th Gator to hit the century mark in points scored, sitting at 92
*   Streaking: Kavanagh’s 23 consecutive games with a goal is the fourth-longest streak in program history (Record – 40 games, Shayna Pirreca)
*   Streaking: Kavanagh holds the record for most consecutive games with a draw control (37) and the streak is still currently alive
*   Streaking: Cara Trombetta currently holds a 13-game streak for groundballs – tied for the third-longest streak
*   Streaking: Trombetta also holds a seven-game streak with a caused turnover – tied for the third-longest streak in program history
*   When scoring at least 14 goals, the Gators are 131-2 (.985)
Up Next

*   The Gators return home for another Top-10 showdown when No. 3 Stony Brook comes to Donald R. Dizney Stadium on Saturday
*   Opening draw is set for 12 p.m.
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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.