GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 8 Florida (4-1) lacrosse team pulled off the comeback victory against the third-ranked Stony Brook Seawolves (2-1) on Saturday afternoon.
The Gators are now 3-1 against Top-25 opponents this season, including a 2-0 record against Top-5 teams.
Shannon Kavanagh led the way offensively, registering four goals and an assist on the day. Grace Haus followed with a hat trick of her own, while Maggie Corbo pitched in a career-high two goals.
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Brianna Harris, Emily Heller and Kassidy Bresnahan all found the back of the net once for the Gators.
Harris also dished out two assists on the afternoon, while Haus, Kavanagh and Bresnahan each recorded a helper of their own.
Florida won the draw control battle, recording 13 in the game. Kavanagh led the way with seven, while Kaitlyn Dabkowski recorded four of her own.
~those Top-3 win vibes~#FLax #GoGators pic.twitter.com/N0va0ZHjfl
— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) February 29, 2020
Defensively, the Gators locked down Stony Brook for the final 11:12 of the first half, allowing UF to climb out of a 5-1 deficit. Florida caused 11 Stony Brook turnovers on the afternoon, led by two apiece from Cara Trombetta and Kavanagh.
Seven Gators each recorded one caused turnover: Heller, Harris, Dabkowski, Corbo, Emma Wightman, Madisyn Kittell and Shelton Sawers.
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Sarah Reznick was lights out in the cage, recording 13 saves and a .565 save percentage. The redshirt freshman registered 10 of her 13 saves in the second half of the game.
The Gators are back in action on Tuesday when the team travels to No. 16 Dartmouth.
How it happened
Stony Brook notched back-to-back goals within the first five minutes of the game to take the 2-0 lead before Shannon Kavanagh put the Gators on the board with a free position goal with 21:24 remaining in the first half.
The Seawolves answered with a 3-0 run, taking the 5-1 lead with 11:12 left in the first half. The Gators did not bow out, recording a 4-0 run of their own to tie it up 5-5 at the half. Kassidy Bresnahan started the run, notching her first goal of the season with 8:48 left in the half. Maggie Corbo registered back-to-back goals — her first two of the year — to bring Florida within one.
Grace Haus polished off the run with her first goal of the day with 5:11 remaining in the first half and the defense did the rest, holding the Seawolves scoreless for the final 11:12 of the first frame.
Stony Brook got on the board first out of the locker, but the Gators responded with a 3-0 run — thanks to two Kavanagh goals and one goal from Haus — taking the 8-6 lead with 21:51 left in the game. The Seawolves tied it up at 8-8, but Haus posted her third goal of the day to give Florida the lead at 9-8.
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Stony Brook once again answered to tie the game at 9-9, but two Gator goals — one from Kavanagh (4) and one from Emily Heller — put Florida up 11-9 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game. The Seawolves got one back with 10:36 remaining in the game, but Brianna Harris put the dagger in the back of the net with 2:32 to play to secure the two-goal victory for Florida.
O'Leary's insight on today's game
"That's a huge win for us — credit Stony Brook, they are a fantastic team. We knew it was going to be a goal-for-goal battle, but I am really proud of how the team came back from the 5-1 deficit. They never gave up and I am proud of their effort today."
Notables
- Maggie Corbo recorded a career-high two goals on the afternoon
- Brianna Harris is inching closer to becoming the 18th Gator to reach the 100-point club, sitting at 95 points
- Shannon Kavanagh is moving closer to 200 career points, currently sitting at 182
- The Gators improve to 7-1 against the Seawolves, including 4-1 in Gainesville, Fla.
- Florida moves to 3-1 on the year against Top-25 opponents, including 2-0 against Top-5 opponents
- UF owns an impressive 93-19 (.830) record in the confines of Donald R. Dizney Stadium
- Streaking: Kavanagh currently holds the record for most consecutive games with a draw control (39)
- Streaking: Kavanagh's 24 consecutive games with a goal is the fourth-longest streak in program history (Record – 40 games, Shayna Pirreca)
- Streaking: Cara Trombetta currently holds a 14-game streak for groundballs – the fourth-longest streak in program history
- Streaking: Trombetta also holds a nine-game streak with a caused turnover – tied for the second-longest streak in program history
Up Next
- The Gators head north to face No. 16 Dartmouth on Tuesday
- Opening draw is slated for 3 p.m. at Scully-Fahey Field
- The game will be streamed on ESPN+
