Road trips are never easy, and traveling over 2,000 miles after a midweek game is even harder, but the travel didn’t seem to phase the Florida Gators as they rolled to their fourth-consecutive win.
The No. 10 Florida Gators (6-4) rolled past the Arizona State Sun Devils (4-5) 21-10 in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Florida started strong, scoring the opening goal less than a minute into the game.
The Gator offense continued to roll through the first quarter, scoring seven goals on 14 shots. The Sun Devils mustered a pair of goals in the opening period despite the resistance of Florida’s defense that suppressed the hosts to just four shots.
Head coach Amanda O’Leary seemed more than satisfied with her team’s approach Sunday.
“We really came out today with a lot of energy,” O’Leary said. “Our offensive was clicking from the start and swung the momentum in our direction”
The Gators were relentless with a scintillating display of finishing in the second quarter, scoring on seven-of-nine shots to take a commanding 14-4 lead into the halftime break.
After an explosive first half, things slowed down considerably.
Both squads combined for just nine shots in the third quarter, but the Gators’ dominant finishing continued with four goals on their five shots. Arizona State scored three late goals in the fourth quarter, but it was mere conciliation for the Sun Devils.
Sophomore attacker Danielle Pavinelli excelled from the opening whistle. The Gators leading scorer for the season scored a hat trick in the first quarter and continued to dazzle the rest of the afternoon. Pavinelli finished the game with a career-high seven goals on 10 shots.
Junior midfielder Paisley Eagan, one of Florida’s captains, had her best day of the season.
The Wilton, Connecticut, product found the back of the net three times and provided four assists, almost doubling her point tally for the entire year. Sophomore midfielder Ashley Gonzalez added on four more goals while freshman attacker Emma LoPinto distributed the ball for an assist hat-trick.
Florida continues its three-game road trip Wednesday with a trip to Macon, Georgia, to face the Mercer Bears before opening conference play against the Cincinnati Bearcats Sunday.
Contact Topher Adams at tadams@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @Topher_Adams.
Topher Adams is a fourth-year communications major and in his fourth semester with the Alligator. He previously covered football, baseball and women's basketball. He also enjoys professional lacrosse and Major League Soccer.
