Over 1,000 See Gators Win 12th Straight
from press release
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The No. 6 Florida lacrosse
team, behind the scores of six different Gators and the stellar
play of sophomore goalkeeper Mikey Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.),
defeated Johns Hopkins, 14-10, in front of a season-high 1,027 fans
on Saturday afternoon at Dizney Stadium. Florida is now 12-1 on the
season and 3-0 in ALC play, while extending their win streak to 12
straight and staying undefeated at home, 10-0.
The Gators were led in scoring by sophomore midfielder Kitty Cullen
(Rockville, Md.) with five goals on the afternoon. Florida also saw
multi-point performances from sophomore midfielder Caroline
Chesterman (South Nyack, N.Y.), who contributed four points (3 G, 1
A) and sophomore attackers Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) and
Janine Hillier (Farmingdale, N.Y.) with three points apiece (2 G, 1
A each). Junior attacker Caroline Cochran (Annapolis, Md.) added a
goal and an assist against the Blue Jays while sophomore midfielder
Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) and redshirt freshman midfielder
Hayley Katzenberger (Damascus, Md.) added a goal and an assist,
respectively.
“I’m really proud of the way we came out today,”
Florida head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “It was a tough
game and we were able to put a lot on the board early and hold on.
The heat certainly affected both teams and I think we really pushed
through.”
The Gators jumped out to a 5-0 lead early in the contest, as
Katzenberger stick checked a Hopkins defender and Cullen was able
to get the ground ball and race towards the goal. She scored her
first goal just 13 seconds into the contest. The next seven minutes
were quiet for both teams as goalkeepers Meagher and Johns
Hopkins’ Cosette Larash had the opportunity to showcase their
defense.
Hillier finally broke the stalemate with a score off free position
eight minutes into the contest. Cullen answered less than a minute
later off a pass from Bruns before Bruns scored one of her own to
put Florida ahead, 4-0. Cullen hit the hat trick mark just 10:36
into the contest with a great feed from Cochran to go ahead 5-0 and
force a Johns Hopkins timeout. The Blue Jays ended the
Gators’ scoring run with a Brianna Cronin goal with 17:03
remaining in the half.
Hillier started things off again for Florida, scoring unassisted
with 13:34 to go in the first stanza. Bruns found the back of the
net 30 seconds later to put the Gators ahead, 7-1. Florida then
took its largest lead of the half, as Chesterman scored from
Katzenberger to make it 8-1. Johns Hopkins then began a run of its
own, scoring three straight to inch closer at 8-4. Chesterman ended
the Hopkins streak again with a score of her own to take a 9-4 lead
into the locker room.
“We came out well and we rode that momentum well during the
first half,” O’Leary said. “Again, we fell into a
lull as we have the past few games but Mikey was there when we
needed her.”
Meagher was on fire in the second stanza, saving 10 shots in the
second half, which is a program record for most saves in a half.
Meagher’s 13 saves on the afternoon was a career high and the
second-highest in program history.
Dashiell scored her lone goal of the afternoon to open the scoring
in the second half. Johns Hopkins had a score of their own three
minutes later before Florida went on another scoring run, courtesy
of Cochran. She found the open net thanks to an incredible play
from her midfield. The Gators quickly passed the ball around the
open net before Chesterman found Cochran open at the right side of
the goal. Chesterman scored unassisted with half of the
second stanza still left to play. Cullen scored her fourth goal of
the afternoon just 1:14 after Chesterman to give the Gators’
their largest lead of the afternoon, 13-5.
Johns Hopkins, as they have done to opponents all season, came
storming back, going on a four-goal run and closing the gap to just
four goals at 13-9. The Gators were able to stop the momentum with
Cullen’s final goal of the afternoon, thanks to a great pass
from Hillier. Hopkins’ McCaffrey secured her hat trick
against the Gators with a goal scored with only 58 seconds
remaining in the contest. Florida’s early lead was enough to
secure the victory, 14-10.
For the first time all season, the Gators were able to win without
winning at the draw. Johns Hopkins had 16 draw controls to
Florida’s 10. The Gators outshot the Blue Jays, 36-27, and
won the game on the ground, notching 17 ground balls to the Blue
Jays’ 11.
The Gator defense played one of their best games of the season.
Florida’s defense consistently frustrated Hopkins’
offense, leading to Johns Hopkins’ 16 turnovers. Florida
midfielder Sam Farrell (Millersville, Md.) held attacker Candace
Rossi to just one goal on six shots, while Rossi held a .551%
shooting percentage on goal heading into Saturday’s
contest.
The Gators now look to Thursday when they will take on the No. 2
Northwestern Wildcats in their home finale. Both teams are
undefeated in ALC play and this game will conceivably be the
barometer for the No. 1 seed in the ALC Tournament. The Wildcats
defeated No. 15 Penn State, 14-5, on Saturday and have the
third-longest win streak in the country (11 games) behind No. 1
Maryland (13 games) and the No. 6 Gators (12 games). Opening draw
is set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday evening under the lights at Dizney
Stadium.
