The Gators were forced to play at a slow pace for most of the first half on Wednesday.
But once Florida got up by more than one goal, it controlled the tempo and dominated the game.
The No. 5 Gators (7-2) overcame a stagnant 20-minute stretch in the first half to defeat Stony Brook (5-2), 17-4 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
“I don’t think we got antsy,” coach Amanda O’Leary said. “We stayed focused. We stayed in the play.”
UF scored twice in the first 3:36 of the game, but a nearly 10-minute scoring drought for both teams that included eight fouls called against the Gators followed the quick start.
The Seawolves controlled the draw after cutting their deficit to 2-1 at the 16:41 mark of the first half and held onto the ball for more than seven minutes without taking a shot. Midfielder Demmianne Cook and attacker Claire Petersen passed back and forth outside the left side of the 12-meter fan for most of the possession.
“I think they were trying to get us in a lull to slow us down a little,” junior defender Sam Farrell said. “We just had to keep our communication up. Keep fired up. Keep talking to each other. We just stayed on our toes and waited for them to come to us.”
UF broke a scoreless drought of more than 21 minutes when junior attacker Gabi Wiegand scored on a free-position shot with just more than five minutes left in the half. Cook also scored on a free-position shot two minutes later, but Gators junior attacker Kitty Cullen would score less than a minute later. The Seawolves were not able to pull within a goal the rest of the game.
The Gators added three goals in the first three minutes of the second half, two of which came from junior attacker Caroline Chesterman, who finished the game with a career-high five goals on five shots.
“I think it’s key,” O’Leary said of the quick start in the second half. “In the past, when we’ve been up by a couple goals, we tend to sit on that lead and then all of a sudden the opponent chips at it.”
With the deficit rapidly increasing, Stony Brook was forced into quicker possessions in the second half, which resulted in Florida being able to control the ball, outshooting the Seawolves 16-4 in the last 30 minutes.
Both Chesterman and O’Leary said the key to the Gators’ success on offense was beating Stony Brook’s zone, which entailed finding the open player on the backside.
“Our key for this game was communication,” Chesterman said. “We figured if we were able to talk we’d be able to find each other and we did that really well today.”
Former Florida midfielder Janine Hillier, who transferred to Stony Brook in the offseason, stands by herself during the Gators' 17-4 win over the Seawolves on Wednesday. Hillier was held scoreless.
