If Florida was looking for redemption after its 20-8 loss at No. 1 North Carolina on Saturday, the team’s 21-5 win over Jacksonville was just that.
Opening the game, JU took the draw and proceeded down the field taking the first goal of the game. However, UF countered with a 7-0 run until 17:05 when JU took its second goal.
By the end of the half, the Gators outshot the Dolphins 21-5 and held a 14-3 lead.
For the game, juniors Shannon Gilroy and Nora Barry made big plays that resulted in a combined eight points and five ground balls to help lead the team to its first win of the season.
The big issue coming into Wednesday’s match against Jacksonville was whether Florida could turn around a 24-12 loss on ground balls and an 18-11 loss on draw controls.
Winning 16-10 on ground balls and 14-4 on draw controls in the first half alone, the Gators (1-1) came out looking like a team that had already decided the Dolphins’ fate.
Gilroy, who was the standout player of the night scoring seven points on eight shots on goal and winning six draw controls, credited the team’s work in practice to the win against JU (0-2).
Coach Amanda O’Leary felt that Gilroy did a good job leading the team after the loss at UNC, but she also said that her effort on ground balls and draws made a big difference in overall game play.
“I thought Shannon did a phenomenal job on the draw,” O’Leary said. “She dominated.”
Freshman Mollie Stevens, who made her first career start and scored her first goal against UNC on Saturday, was the highest scoring freshman on the team, putting up three points against JU and scooping one ground ball.
“I am so pleased with Mollie,” O’Leary said.
“She is typically an attacker and we’ve thrown her into the midfield, which is a huge transition for an attacker, so I think she has taken on that defensive role with a smile.”
Stevens is one of three freshmen to start for the Gators. She has four points in Florida’s first two games.
Her first goal against JU came 30 seconds after freshman Sammi Burgess scored UF’s second point of the night.
Florida faces High Point on Saturday, a team known for having a unique, but difficult defense. Florida spent most of its time on offense against JU, putting little pressure on the defense that North Carolina eviscerated.
O’Leary said that even though the crowd did not get to see how the defense would play after the loss against UNC, she believes that if the team manages the game well and communicates properly on the field, than the defense should have no issue on Saturday.
While Stevens and Gilroy put up a combined total of 10 points, Devon Schneider (four points) and Sam Darcangelo (three points) also bolstered Florida’s offense.
“We knew we had the potential to be really good,” Darcangelo said.
“We just need to work together like we have been, get ground balls, play hard on defense, 1-v-1 and then go hard on the cage every single time.”
Follow Eden Otero on Twitter @edenotero_l
Shannon Gilroy drives toward the net during Florida’s 21-5 win against Jacksonville on Wednesday at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Gilroy scored seven points against the Dolphins.
