Attacker Lindsey Ronbeck walked the ball back into play after a Florida shot went wide.
When the referee blew the whistle, Ronbeck took off, running in front of the goal and finding the back of the net. Her goal continued a scoring run that put the Gators ahead 5-1.
But she wasn’t done there.
Attacker Mollie Stevens won the next draw control, retaining possession for Florida. Marching downfield and working the ball around, the Gators benefitted from another Ronbeck goal, this time off an assist from attacker Madisyn Kittell.
The goal put the Gators up by five and showed that Florida’s offense was in full force.
“Everyone worked hard in our ride, and we had quite a few players see success on the offensive end,” coach Amanda O’Leary said in a release. “A great day for Florida lacrosse.”
Behind a strong offensive performance in which four Gators scored at least three goals, No. 3 Florida (10-2, 4-0 Big East) defeated Marquette (4-8, 2-2 Big East) 21-7 on Wednesday afternoon in Wisconsin.
The Gators held the Golden Eagles to 19 shots while taking 43 and caused 16 of Marquette’s 22 turnovers. The 14-point margin of victory is the largest gap for the Gators this season.
Ronbeck led the offense with seven points on five goals and two assists, tying her career-high. Attackers Sammi Burgess and Kittell each recorded six points in the game, with Kittell recording a career-high in goals (three), assists (three) and points (six).
Attacker Mollie Stevens scored four goals, midfielder Brianna Harris had a hat trick, and midfielders Sydney Pirreca, Allie Pavinelli, Caroline Benitez and Madi Hall rounded out the scoring with a goal each.
With the score tied at 1-1 ten minutes into the game, Florida went on 7-0 run to build a commanding 8-1 lead. After Marquette scored three straight goals to cut into the Gators’ lead, Florida went on a 9-0 run that started at the end of the first half and lasted until halfway through the second half.
While the offense takes a large part of the credit for the runs, the defense also propelled the Gators forward.
Defender Caroline Fitzgerald caused five turnovers and scooped two ground balls, and defenders Taylor Bresnahan and Cara Trombetta caused two turnovers each.
“I’m really proud of our effort on the defensive end. Especially being able to force turnovers without fouling,” O’Leary said.
The Gators were able to cycle through all three of their goalies, with Haley Hicklen making seven saves and Olivia Cole and Kenzii Kittell combining for eight minutes of playing time. This was also Florida's second consecutive game where every player who was eligible to play received playing time.
“A true team effort today,” O’Leary said. “It is never easy traveling such a distance mid-week, but our team stepped up and played very well.”
Contact Jake Dreilinger at jdreilinger@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @DreilingerJake.
UF attacker Lindsey Ronbeck holds her stick up during Florida's 15-8 win against Denver on March 25, 2017, at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
