The No. 9 Florida lacrosse team (16-3) earned its spot in the AAC Tournament Final after defeating Vanderbilt (9-8) 17-8, Thursday evening.
Florida is the No. 1 seed in the tournament and Vanderbilt was the No. 4.
Vanderbilt and UF faced off on March 30 earlier this season. Florida won 20-5 in Nashville.
The Gators got off to a slow start, finishing the first quarter tied 4-4. UF found the net four more times in the second quarter to take an 8-6 lead going into halftime.
They picked up the pace in the second half, outscoring the Commodores 7-0 in the third quarter.
Moreover, Florida scored 12 consecutive goals over three quarters. Goals by senior attacker Danielle Pavinelli opened and closed the streak in the second and fourth quarters.
Eight Gators scored in the matchup.
Florida senior attacker Maggi Hall – AAC Attacker of the Year – scored four goals and had three assists. She scored once in the first quarter, twice in the second quarter and once in the third quarter.
Graduate student midfielder Emily Heller found the net five times. She scored twice in the first quarter, once in the second quarter and twice in the third quarter.
Gators redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Elyse Finnelle, the AAC Goalkeeper of the Year, recorded a save percentage of .429 after facing 14 shots on goal.
Florida finished the game with 27 shots on goal, 14 fouls and 14 turnovers. The Commodores fouled 18 times and committed 16 turnovers.
The Gators will face the winner of No. 3 Temple and No. 4 James Madison which takes place at 8:45 p.m. Thursday. The final is set to take place at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Contact Lacey Rogers at lrogers@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @laceyyrog.
Lacey Rogers is a third-year journalism major and sports reporter for The Alligator. She is a huge Washington Capitals fan and hopes to work for them after she finishes school.
