during the Gators' game against the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays on Friday, May 10, 2019 at UNC Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium in Chapel Hill, NC / UAA Communications photo by Andy Mead

Gators Lacrosse Are AAC Champs Again

Shannon Kavanagh scored seven goals in the Gators’ 22-9 win over Vanderbilt. Florida is the AAC regular-season champions.

Gators dominate

This game was never close. Kavanagh got Florida on the board early with two quick goals. The Gators scored the first eight goals of the game. While Vanderbilt made a strong push before halftime, the smallest deficit was still 11-6.

Kavanagh’s seven goals brought her to 47 on the year. In only 13 games played so far, she is approaching her career-best 69 goals scored in the 2019 season. She set that mark over 21 games. However, she may only need a few more at this rate.

Chance to be perfect in the AAC

With two games against Old Dominion coming up, the Gators have a chance to finish with a perfect 10-0 record in the AAC. Florida has cruised through the competition this year, scoring at least 14 points in all conference games. The closest game was a 15-9 win over Temple, which was the first AAC matchup of the season.

Old Dominion is the only team in the way of the Gators sweeping the entire AAC. At 3-12, the Gators should be able to do what needs to be done. Old Dominion has only won one conference game this season and doesn’t pose much of a threat to Florida, on paper.

Florida ranked six in the country

Forget the AAC, the Gators are one of the best overall teams in the country. While it is a great accomplishment, the AAC second-place team is ranked 20. The level of competition just was not there for Florida this season.

Meanwhile, the ACC dominates the rankings with four of the top five teams coming from that conference. Right behind teams like North Carolina, Syracuse, Boston College and Notre Dame is Florida at 6.

Even with the easier schedule, Kavanagh and the rest of this talented team proved they belong in the same conversation as those teams.

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