Florida Lacrosse Falls To North Carolina In Chapel Hill

The No. 12 Florida Gators lacrosse team lost 19-10 to the No. 6 North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday.

The Gators (0-2) left Chapel Hill still winless this season after a close match through three quarters until the Tar Heels (2-1) pulled away in the fourth to win.

Game Time

Emily Heller found the back of the net for the first goal in the match to give the Gators the 1-0 lead.

However, North Carolina came back with three straight goals. Maggi Hall evened the score at 3-3 with back-to-back Florida goals. Then, on a free position shot, Heller scored. Florida went up 4-3 at the end of the first quarter.

Early in the second, Danielle Pavinelli found the back of the goal to put the Gators up 5-3.

.@dpavinelli down the alley 😳

📺https://t.co/pdUL5Nj1ot #FLax | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/n30hmJdIc2

— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) February 17, 2024

The Tar Heels responded with a goal of their own, but not before Madison Waters scored to add one to Florida’s lead.

Heller scored her third goal of the day to complete the 11th hat trick in her career and put the Gators up 7-4.

North Carolina scored two more goals, but Sarah Falk extended the lead back to two with a goal of her own.

HAT TRICK HELLER!!!!

Q2 | Florida 7, UNC 4#FLax | #GoGators | @emilyheller1 pic.twitter.com/PGA6tnwZUe

— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) February 17, 2024

In the last two minutes, the Tar Heels evened the score at eight with two goals in 37 seconds. The teams went into the locker rooms at halftime tied.

The Gators fell behind 10-8 early in the third quarter. Pavinelli recorded her second goal of the game to narrow the deficit to one.

Pav from the 8m and the Gators are back within 1!

Q3 | Florida 9, UNC 10#FLax | #GoGators | @DPavinelli pic.twitter.com/BtIUQyI0Pp

— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) February 17, 2024

Then, the Gators gave up two more goals. The Tar Heels led 12-9 going into the final quarter.

In the fourth, the Tar Heels outscored the Gators 7-1 to pull away for the win.

Up Next

The Gators will look for their first win of the season in College Park, Maryland, on Saturday. The matchup with the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins is at noon.