The No. 13 Florida lacrosse team (6-2) took down the No. 21 Princeton Tigers (3-3) 16-13 Wednesday. This was the Gators’ first game back at home after going 3-0 on a West Coast road trip.
The win Wednesday pushed Florida’s win streak to six games.
The Gators struggled offensively in the first half, turning over the ball 10 times compared to Princeton’s six. Despite that, Florida managed to lead 11-6 going into halftime.
At halftime, UF only had one more shot on goal than the Tigers. However, Florida took 15 of the 18 draw controls in the first two quarters.
Senior attacker Ashley Gonzalez was the first to achieve a hat trick for the Gators. She scored twice in the first quarter and once in the second quarter.
Florida sophomore attacker Gianna Monaco also recorded a hat trick after goals in the first, second and third quarters. Gators senior midfielder Madison Waters followed in Monaco’s footsteps with a hat trick in the same fashion.
Princeton made a comeback attempt in the third quarter, outscoring the Gators 5-3. The fourth quarter began with Florida up 14-11. The Tigers chipped away at the Gators lead to reach a two-point deficit with just under four minutes left in the game.
However, Gators senior attacker Danielle Pavinelli scored in the final two minutes of the game to keep Florida three points ahead leading to a 16-13 win, its sixth in a row.
The two teams each finished with 27 shots and 20 shots on goal. Princeton fouled 23 times compared to the Gators’ 16.
The Tigers ended the game with only five draw controls. Florida had 26.
Next, the Gators will host Mercer University Saturday at noon. The game can be streamed on ESPN +.
Contact Lacey Rogers at lrogers@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @laceyyrog
Lacey Rogers is a third-year journalism major and sports reporter for The Alligator. She is a huge Washington Capitals fan and hopes to work for them after she finishes school.
