Ten minutes into the first half, the Gators found themselves in an unfamiliar position: without a goal on the scoreboard.
At the 20:09 mark, Ohio State grabbed a one-goal lead, and Florida could not capitalize on any opportunity.
The Gators ripped off a total of 11 shots 21 minutes into the game but to no prevail. Previously, 9 minutes and 51 seconds was the longest it took this Florida team to find the back of the net, which was Feb. 9 against UNC.
“It's definitely frustrating when the opportunities are there,” senior Kitty Cullen said, “And we were just not finishing them.”
Ohio State defender Kelsey Heine pushed midfielder Shannon Gilroy down to the ground, which resulted into a free-position shot. Off the line, Gilroy passed it to senior Caroline Chesterman who threw it in between the Buckeyes goalie’s legs for the Gators first goal.
Forty seconds later, Cullen launched a bouncing shot from 6 meters out, resulting in a 2-1 Florida lead.
Once UF has taken the lead in a game this season, it has not allowed for its opponent to come back into it, and Saturday was no different.
Florida (13-0, 1-0) opened American Lacrosse Conference play on Saturday, beating rival Ohio State (3-5, 0-1) by a score of 13-7.
In the waning minutes of the first half, the Gators finished off a 3-0 run to go in with a 3-1 lead.
“Anytime you can be the last one to score walking into that halftime, it certainly has the momentum going in your direction,” Florida coach Amanda O’Leary said.
It didn’t stop there.
In the first minute of the second half, Gilroy and senior Brittany Dashiell both grabbed quick goals.
After the first goal in the first half, the ball was falling right into the back of the net for Florida.
“We all just took a deep breath, looked at each other and said, ‘We got this,’” Cullen said. “‘We are one of the best offenses in the country. We can finish these shots, and we can do this.’”
After the first 11 shots missing, the Gators converted 13 goals on 22 shots for the rest of the game.
Cullen, Dashiell and Gilroy combined for 11 of the 13 goals on the day.
“They are three people that we rely on week in and week out,” O’Leary said, “And they have delivered in every occasion.”
Senior Brittany Dashiell (22) runs after the ball during Florida’s 18-13 exhibition win against England on Jan. 24 at Dizney Stadium. Dashiell became the first Gator to record 200 career draw controls on Saturday.
