Despite being tied at 16 with the No. 10 team in the country with just over six minutes to play, freshman midfielder Shannon Kavanagh kept her cool.
After beginning its two-game road trip with a bang, upsetting North Carolina 17-10 on March 3, the Florida lacrosse team finished with a thud, falling at Syracuse 17-15 on Wednesday.
After a blowout victory over then-No. 3 North Carolina on Saturday, the Florida lacrosse team had momentum on its side heading into its matchup at No. 8 Syracuse on Wednesday.
When the Gators lacrosse team hit the road to take on a Tar Heels squad that was coming off a win against the nation’s previous top-ranked team, the Maryland Terrapins, it expected a hard-fought 60 minutes.
After an easy 16-5 win against Jacksonville Wednesday night, the No. 6 Gators lacrosse team will head into arguably its most difficult stretch of the season when they face No. 3 North Carolina, No. 7 Syracuse and No. 8 Navy over an 11-day span.
“Goal, Florida!”
After opening the season with games against three opponents ranked in the IWLCA top 25, Florida will have a tune-up game of sorts against Jacksonville before hitting the road to play No. 3 North Carolina and No. 7 Syracuse.
When the Florida lacrosse team’s season began, expectations were high for returning starters like attackers Shayna Pirreca and Lindsey Ronbeck, midfielder Sydney Pirreca and defender Aniya Flanagan.
Florida spent most of regulation either tied or playing from behind.
What is the Gators’ secret to staying fresh between games?
On paper, it might appear as though the Gators had upset the No. 1 Terrapins on Saturday.
Trailing Maryland 11-9 early in the second half, UF attacker Shayna Pirreca charged the goal and hurled in a shot to narrow the Terrapins’ lead to one.
Since its inception, Florida lacrosse has played Maryland three times. It has lost every one.
Heading into the 2018 season, the biggest question facing the Gators was how they would replace the production of last year’s seniors.
With 8:19 remaining in the first half, Florida held a 7-5 lead over Colorado. Buffaloes attacker Samantha Nemirov sprinted toward the net and released a hard shot in the direction of UF goalkeeper Haley Hicklen. Hicklen reacted quickly, snagging the ball out of the air for a save.
The Florida lacrosse team has not reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2015.
In the inaugural draft of the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League, four former Gators were selected alongside two current assistant coaches.
The Florida lacrosse team’s season came to an end on Sunday following a heartbreaking loss to USC – a team it beat earlier in the season – in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Kygo’s “Stole The Show” blasted around the arena as emotions ran high for the Gators.
Last year’s postseason loss is still in the back of Florida’s mind.
Solutions by The State News
