The Florida Gators lacrosse team finished their regular season with a 17-5 victory over the Old Dominion Monarchs on Saturday afternoon in Norfolk, Va. The Gators improved to 14-3 on the season and 5-1 in the American Athletic Conference while the Monarchs closed out the season 4-13 overall and a 0-6 record in league play.
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First Half
Old Dominion got on the board early with a swift goal just two minutes into the first frame. However, Florida responded with a four-goal shutdown to take the lead 4-1. Emma LoPinto showed up first for the Gators and assisted Tayler Warehime in scoring the second goal. Similarly, Warehime found Maggi Hall and assisted in bumping the Gators 3-1. LoPinto added the Gators final shot of the frame but Old Dominion sought redemption. They owned the last two minutes of the quarter with a 2-0 run to cut the deficit to one.
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The second frame looked a bit different for the Monarchs as they went scoreless while the Florida Gators scooped up four goals to advance to 8-3 at the half. First, Emily Heller scored off an assist from Danielle Pavinelli, after six scoreless minutes. Then Hall, LoPinto and Madison Waters saw the back of the cage respectively.
Second Half
The third quarter began with a goal from the Monarchs to cut the deficit to four. Nearly a minute later, Pavinelli tallied her first goal of the day and then kept the momentum going with another goal on a free-position attempt. Hall netted a hat trick and Warehime unleashed a goal to boost the Gators 12-4. The Gators were unstoppable! Paisley Eagan added her first with less than five minutes remaining in the quarter. Finally, LoPinto wrapped up the quarter 14-4 with an assisted shot by Pavinelli.
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Florida saw a new appearance on the board with an unassisted goal by Gianna Monaco to pull the Gators 15-4. Old Dominion answered with one goal. But in the final minutes, Ava Tighe hustled in the last two goals to top the Monarchs 17-5.
What’s Next?
The Florida Gators Lacrosse teams will compete in the American Athletic Conference Tournament as the No.2 seed next week in Philadelphia. The Gators will play in the AAC semi-final game on Thursday, May 4 at 7 p.m. Fans who can’t attend the game can watch the live broadcast on ESPN+.