Gators Lacrosse Beats Liberty 16-7

The No. 9 Florida Gators lacrosse team was on the road Wednesday afternoon for a midday matchup against Liberty. The Gators went up early in the game and never looked back, defeating the Flames 16-7.

Wednesday W's 😎#FLax | #GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/68GIyiCULY

— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) April 12, 2023

First Quarter

Emma LoPinto wreaked havoc to begin the game. She scored the contest’s first goal two minutes into the game, and then scored the next three to put the Gators up 4-0. LoPinto’s second goal was the 100th of her career, tying the record for the fastest player in Florida history to reach this milestone. Each team scored one more goal, and the Gators took a 5-1 lead into the first break.

https://twitter.com/GatorsLAX/status/1646184227757600768

Second Quarter

The second quarter started similarly to the first; the Gators went on a scoring barrage that extended their lead. Danielle Pavinelli scored the opening goal of the quarter with over 12:30 remaining before half. The Gators scored the first five goals of the second quarter, including LoPinto’s 40th of the season. The LoPinto goal was assisted by Catherine Flaherty, who recorded the first point of her career. Liberty had another one point quarter, and the Gators brought a 12-2 lead into halftime.

Cat gets her first career point with the assist to Emma in transition 😎🔥

📺https://t.co/8bdrBGr8A2#FLax | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/ajjvuxKWhW

— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) April 12, 2023

Third Quarter

The third quarter was a low scoring affair for both teams. Florida scored two more goals, including the second of the contest for Emily Heller. Liberty scored one point for the third consecutive quarter and the Gators took a 14-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

.@emilyheller1 goes all the way for her second of the day!

Q3 | UF 14, LIBERTY 3#FLax | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/pKTdJEnHY4

— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) April 12, 2023

Fourth Quarter

While the game was mostly in hand for the Gators, Liberty went on a run in the fourth that cut Florida’s lead. Liberty scored the first three goals in the quarter, cutting the Gators’ lead to single digits. Florida went on to score two of the game’s last three goals to extend their lead back out to 11 to end the game. Jackie Norsworthy scored the final goal for the Gators, making the final score 16-7.

.@jackienors free position GOAL!

Q4 | UF 16, LIBERTY 7#FLax | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/5BzwRCGReu

— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) April 12, 2023

Up Next

The Gators are back in action Saturday with a conference matchup against East Carolina. Florida will host the Pirates on Saturday at noon.