The No. 2 Florida lacrosse team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday to cap off the 2016 non-conference schedule.
After starting the season 9-0 and 6-0 against ranked opponents, the Gators lost to No. 1 Maryland 14-4, highlighted by a 10-2 second-half thrashing that saw Florida commit 19 fouls.
In the effort, the Terrapins held Florida to its lowest goal total of the season.
"That was a great opportunity, and I think we let it get by us," UF coach Amanda O’Leary said.
O’Leary added that her players have likely already watched film on their own to learn from the mistakes they made during Saturday’s game.
However, the seventh-year coach refused to let the one loss define the season her team has had so far.
"We played a lot of top-ranked teams in that non-conference stretch," O’Leary said, "I’m really pleased with how the team responded in those tight games we had along the way."
During the first half of the season, the Gators knocked off then-No. 2 Syracuse, then-No. 2 North Carolina and then-No. 8 Stony Brook, all while on the road.
UF also took care of ranked Loyola, Boston College and Towson teams at home, winning those games 15-6, 13-5 and 15-7, respectively.
Coming into the season, juniors Mollie Stevens and Sammi Burgess and redshirt senior Nicole Graziano were already established offensive threats, but three underclassmen have stepped in to help create one of the NCAA’s most diverse attacks.
Freshmen midfielders Sydney Pirreca and Lindsey Ronbeck have each scored double-digit goals this season and have combined for 10 assists. Both have played major roles in wins over top-five opponents. Pirreca scored a team-high five goals in UF’s 16-15 win against UNC on Feb. 20, and Ronbeck scored her first career hat trick in an 11-10 overtime victory against Syracuse on March 1.
"It’s just good going forward because we know that everyone of all age can score," Graziano said of the newcomers after the Maryland game, one in which Ronbeck scored two of the team’s four goals.
In addition to the freshmen, one of the biggest contributors who started the season off the radar was Shayna Pirreca.
Starting with her four-goal, two-assist effort off the bench in a 12-11 comeback victory against Michigan on Feb. 13, the sophomore midfielder has been one of UF’s most improved players.
Along with a team-leading 11 assists, Shayna has already matched her goal total (14) from last year and upped her shot-on-goal percentage from last year’s mark of .609 to .704.
"It all comes down to hard work," O’Leary said. "...You’re gonna see her on her days off over at (Donald R. Dizney Stadium) throwing at the wall."
The Gators open Big East play against Vanderbilt (4-4) on Saturday at Dizney Stadium at noon, where they will face a familiar face on the opposing sideline.
Shannon Gilroy, who led the team in goals and assists last year, is an assistant coach for the Commodores.
"It’s exciting," O’Leary said of playing against both her former player and Vanderbilt.
"There’s nothing better than heading into conference play."
Contact Kyle Brutman at kbrutman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @KBrut13.
Sophomore attacker Sammi Burgess fights for a ground ball during UF's 17-11 loss to UNC at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
