The eighth-ranked Florida Gator lacrosse team defeated the Mercer Bears 15-6 on Wednesday afternoon. The Gators have now beaten the Bears in all four of their match ups all time. A bounce back win by Florida brings the Gators to 6-3 on the season.
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Florida Controlled the First Half with Impressive Offense
The Gators kicked off the first frame of this midweek match up with an impressive offensive play. Madison Waters scored 14 seconds into the game and nearly eight minutes later, Kaitlyn Davies scored a free-position goal, her first of three goals. After a brief media timeout, Emma LoPinto, Paisley Eagan and Danielle Pavinelli consecutively scored leaving the Bears with five unanswered goals total in the quarter.
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The Bears broke their silence with two goals before halftime but that was no match compared to the six goals that the Gators added to the board. Maggie Hall and Heller put up the first two nets of the quarter then Mercer answered with a much needed goal. The Bears scored one more time before falling into a nine point deficit.
Mercer Struggles; Gators Succeed in Second Half
Mercer jumped on the board first to start the second half but Pavinelli and Davies quickly answered. Despite the huge score gap, Mercer still attempted to score but were successful just once more. Heller and Ava Tighe extended the lead by two for Florida while redshirt junior Sarah Reznick saved eight goals total by the end third quarter for the Gators.
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The Gators began the fourth frame with a 15-4 advantage. Even though the Gators were held scoreless in the final frame, they were still able to come out on top 15-6.
What’s Next to Come?
The Gators will host the Cincinnati Bears on Saturday at the Donald R. Dizney stadium. Opening draw is slated at noon.