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Gators Lacrosse NCAA tournament journey ends against the Maryland Terrapins, losing 18-5. This was the Gator’s seventh quarterfinals appearance in the tournament in their 13-year program history.
How it happened
The Gators fell to the Terrapins despite a hard-fought first quarter. The Terrapins jumped out to an early lead, but the Gators kept the game close thanks to goals by Emma LoPinto, Danielle Pavinelli, and Emily Heller.
The Gators finished the first half with only a three-score deficit, with the score at 6-3.
While the first half was a very back-and-forth battle, the second half was not. The Terrapins snatched the momentum out of the half and did not look back. The Terrapins went on an 8-1 run in the third quarter, putting the Gators down by 10 going into the fourth.
Josie Hahn scored with 10 minutes left to end the Terrapin’s scoring run in the fourth. The Gators fought hard but did not have enough to mount the comeback. The game concluded with a final score of 18-5.
Gave it all we had.#FLax // #GoGators // @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/b09npaBVv2
— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) May 19, 2022
Season Recap
While there was a disappointing end, the gators still had a stellar season posting a record of 17-5 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the AAC.
This year the Gators won the AAC regular-season championship and the AAC tournament, marking the eighth consecutive conference title win.
The Gators ended the regular season ranked fifth and entered the NCAA tournament as the seventh seed.
Seasons Standouts
This season, Gators players earned five major AAC rewards, had six earn IWCLA All-Region accolades and had nine on the AAC All-Conference teams.
Danielle Pavinelli had a strong 2022 campaign with a team-leading 73 goals.
This season the Sophomore earned IWLCA South Region First team honors and was voted unanimously as the AAC Attack Player of the Year.
Pavinelli was one of 25 players nationally nominated for the Tewaaraton Award, awarded to the nation’s best player.
SIX All-Region selections 🔥https://t.co/G6t7u0xxGF#FLax // #GoGators pic.twitter.com/vZnQzSlGmp
— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) May 12, 2022
Emma LoPinto had a stellar season and was the AAC Freshman Player of the Year and became the second consecutive gator to win the award.
Not only was LoPinto a top freshman in the conference but arguably the top in the country. She finished the season with 63 goals and a team-leading 34 assists with 97 points total.
LoPinto joined Pavinelli on the IWLCA All-Region First team and AAC All-Conference First Team.
Standout junior midfielder Emily Heller also had a fantastic season and made the IWCLA all-region and all-conference first teams.
