Florida battles Syracuse Saturday with a ticket to the Final Four on the line.
The sixth-seeded Gators glided past Sunshine State foe Jacksonville in a lopsided 17-3 win Sunday.
The orange and blue redeemed themselves after an unexpected loss to the Dolphins March 13. AAC Midfielder of the Year Shannon Kavanagh and attacker Brianna Harris led the offense with a combined six goals. Harris, the AAC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, recorded her 200th career point in a Florida uniform.
Kavanagh and her 112 draw wins meet defender Ella Simkins and midfielder Katelyn Mashewske in the draw circle who claim 70 and 67 wins, respectively.
AAC Attacker of the Year Grace Haus notched seven goals Sunday. The senior is eight points away from matching Harris’s benchmark and becoming the 11th Gator to record 200 career points.
Florida’s Kaitlyn Dabkowski tallied a ground ball in 15 straight games, the fifth-longest streak in program history.
The third-seeded Orange trampled the Loyola Greyhounds 20-8 to move to the quarterfinals. Attacker Meaghan Tyrrell leads Syracuse offensively with 96 points. The junior posted seven goals against Loyola.
SU’s defense looks to challenge UF’s dominant offense as it forces an average of nine caused turnovers per game. Asa Goldstock will suit up for the Orange between the pipes. The graduate student offers a .454 save percentage off of 128 saves.
AAC Goalkeeper of the Year Sarah Reznick tallied a save in 28-straight games, tied for the fifth-longest streak in program history. The UF goalie tied her career-high with a .750 save percentage versus JU.
“This team is running on all cylinders,” Florida coach Amanda O’Leary said. “They are playing their best lacrosse and we saw that this past weekend – hoping that momentum carries us into this weekend.
Syracuse holds the 7-4 series advantage historically in the series, including a 14-13 win at Donald R. Dizney Stadium in 2019.
Opening draw is set for 2 p.m. at SU Soccer Stadium. The game will stream on ESPN3.
Contact Karina Wilson at kwilson@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @kk_rinaa
Karina Wilson is a second-year student at the University of Florida within the College of Journalism and Communications with a specialization in sports and media. She aims to produce engaging, accurate and current content for all types of sports fans. Currently, Karina is The Alligator's lacrosse beat writer.
