Senior attacker Lindsey Ronbeck and the Florida women’s lacrosse team ran rampant at the Jacksonville Lacrosse Center.
Ronbeck recorded nearly half of the Gators’ first-half goals (seven out of 15) and finished the game with eight, bringing her season total to 58.
Her offensive explosion fueled No. 18 UF to a 19-13 non-conference victory over Jacksonville on Thursday night.
“We got off to a great start in the first half, and our offense was moving the ball well,” coach Amanda O’Leary said in a release. “Our second half wasn’t as strong as we would have liked.”
Florida (8-6) got on the board first after sophomore midfielder Shannon Kavanagh scored an unassisted goal, but attacker Erin McGuire tied the game for Jacksonville (10-3) less than three minutes later.
The Gators responded with four consecutive goals from senior midfielders Madi Hall and Paige Aldave, Kavanagh and Ronbeck.
Hall gave UF the lead at the 22:28 mark of the first half, her 11th goal of the season.
Two goals in 22 seconds from Kavanagh and senior midfielder Paige Aldave, who found the back of the net for the first time this year, extended Florida’s lead to 4-1.
Jacksonville midfielder Alexis Deaken earned a yellow card after Aldave’s goal and had to leave the game temporarily.
Ronbeck took advantage of the man-up opportunity and converted from the free position.
Dolphins coach Mindy McCord called a timeout after the Gators’ fifth goal and swung the momentum in her team’s favor.
Midfielder Jenny Kinsey answered with a free-position goal, but junior midfielder Brianna Harris restored UF’s four-goal lead just over a minute later.
Harris’ goal marked the beginning of a 10-1 run by Florida to end the first half, which put the Gators up 15-3 heading into the break.
UF managed only four goals in the second half, while Jacksonville scored 10.
But Florida held on to earn its fifth-consecutive win despite losing in the draw circle 19-14.
This was the first time the Gators emerged victorious after controlling fewer draws than their opponent.
Ronbeck led the team with four draw controls, while Kavanagh and senior defender Caroline May had three and two, respectively.
One draw control from sophomore defender Sabrina Cristodero helped her break the program record for consecutive games with a draw control (28).
UF’s dismal second half was a cause for concern, and O’Leary pointed that out.
“We have some things to work on before we get back into conference play on Saturday,” she said.
Follow Bryan Matamoros on Twitter @bmatamoros_ and contact him at bmatamoros@alligator.org.
Senior attacker Lindsey Ronbeck scored eight goals Thursday in the Gators lacrosse team's 19-13 victory over Jacksonville.
