Led by first-half hat tricks by Nicole Graziano and Shayna Pirreca, the No. 2 Florida lacrosse team scored eight goals in the first 30 minutes of its game at Georgetown Saturday.
That was all the scoring the Gators needed to secure a victory in their first road game in more than a month, defeating the Hoyas 14-7 on Saturday in Washington, D.C.
Graziano and Pirreca scored four and three goals, respectively, in the opening half as UF cruised to an 8-2 lead. Pirreca scored another goal early in the second half to tie her career-high in goals.
Graziano extended her goal-scoring streak to 12 games, dating back to UF’s second game of the season, a 12-11 win at Michigan on Feb. 13.
Junior attacker Sammi Burgess also scored a hat trick, completing it with 6:46 left in the game. She has now scored or assisted in 17 straight games.
The Fallston, Maryland, native did her part on the defensive end as well, forcing two of Florida’s 10 caused turnovers.
The Gators (12-1, 3-0 Big East) started out the game in aggressive fashion — in the first half, they won 12 of 20 ground ball opportunities, gathered seven of 11 draw controls opportunities, and allowed the Hoyas’ defense to clear the ball just four times on nine attempts.
Overall, defender Caroline Fitzgerald tied for the team lead in both ground ball pickups and draw controls with three apiece.
Florida attempted double the shots Georgetown (3-8, 1-1 Big East) did in the half, putting up 16 to the Hoyas’ eight.
The offensively efficient half ended with a free position goal by Graziano with 12 seconds left, bringing her goal total to a team-leading 29.
The second half showcased a more balanced effort, with Georgetown improving greatly from its subpar opening 30.
The Hoyas and Gators each put up 14 shots in the half and combined for just two failed clearances on defense. Georgetown won the possession battle, winning seven of 12 draw control opportunities and gathering eight ground balls to UF’s five.
The Gators scored four of the second half’s first five goals — Sydney Pirreca, Shayna Pirreca, Lindsey Ronbeck and Allie Pavinelli scored, respectively — but Georgetown finished the game outscoring Florida 4-2, including the match’s final three goals to bring its game total to seven.
However, it would only get the Hoyas halfway to Florida’s goal total.
Every player on UF’s active roster got playing time in Washington, D.C., and coach Amanda O’Leary said after the game that every player on the team played very hard.
“We really competed out there today and saw great things on both ends of the field,” she said in a release.
The Gators are now 4-1 against Georgetown all-time and have won four straight in the series.
UF plays its next game at home Wednesday against Big East opponent Marquette.
Contact Kyle Brutman at kbrutman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @KBrut13.
UF's Nicole Graziano (right) makes a play on the ball during Florida's 16-6 win over Dartmouth on Feb. 27, 2016.
