The Pirreca sisters took over Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Saturday.
Freshman Sydney and sophomore Shayna combined for seven goals and an assist in a thrilling 16-15 upset for the Gators over then-No. 2 UNC.
Florida (3-0), which entered the game at No. 10 in the country, moved up to No. 4 in this week’s Inside Lacrosse poll.
Coming off a game in which she almost single handedly brought back the Gators from a late-game three-goal deficit to a 12-11 win over Michigan, Shayna continued her dominance with a pair of goals in her first start to extend her season total to eight, the second-most of any Florida player.
UF coach Amanda O’Leary said the start began because of her success both in the Michigan game and in the practices leading up to the UNC game.
"(Shayna) continues to give us production," O’Leary said.
"Whether that’s with goals, assists… She’s coming into her own."
Sydney, the No. 1-ranked recruit in the class of 2015, had herself a breakout game against the Tar Heels. In just her third collegiate game, the Mount Sinai, New York, native exploded for a career-high five goals, with three coming in the first half of the game.
She is the first freshman Gator to record a single-half hat trick since junior Mollie Stevens did so as a freshman against Denver.
Offensive production aside, Sydney Pirreca was also active on the defensive end against UNC, helping out a defense that used every ounce of energy it had to squeak out the one-goal victory.
"She really, truly played a complete game," O’Leary said.
Sydney isn’t the only Florida newcomer who came into her own against the Tar Heels.
Freshman Lindsey Ronbeck, the No. 2 nationally ranked recruit in last year’s class, notched her first two collegiate scores during a 4-0 second half run that helped give the Gators some wiggle room heading down the stretch.
O’Leary credits the bump in Ronbeck’s production to a switch in her position on the field. The seventh-year Florida coach moved Ronbeck from a more defensive midfielder position to an area where she can utilize her natural skills as an attacker more often.
The Manhasset, New York, native entered Gainesville as an attacker, but trained to be a more defensive player in the UF lineup.
The two freshman phenoms — Sydney Pirreca and Ronbeck — have played just three games apiece in a Gator uniform, but both have found their respective niches on the team.
That’s a fact that O’Leary has responded to with obvious enthusiasm and enjoyment.
"It’s fun," O’Leary said. "Seeing those two play as well as they did."
Contact Kyle Brutman at kbrutman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @KBrut13.
Attacker Shayna Pirreca leads Florida with 44 goals on the season.
