Five different Gators scored individual goals in Florida’s first quarter shutout of Mercer.
The Florida Gators (6-3) beat the Mercer Bears (5-2) 15-6 in the third away game of the season. Florida never lost the lead and controlled Wednesday’s game.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Sarah Reznick didn’t allow any goals by Mercer in the first quarter.
Junior attacker Liz Harrison won the opening draw of Wednesdays game. Junior midfielder Madison Waters then scored within the first 38 seconds of the match.
Neither team scored for the following 7 minutes. Freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Davies stopped the skid and scored the Gators’ second goal off a free position attempt.
Sophomore attacker Emma LoPinto scored shortly after. Redshirt senior midfielder Paisley Eagan quickly added another point to Florida’s lead.
Junior attacker Maggi Hall assisted junior attacker Danielle Pavinelli for the Gators’ fifth consecutive goal to end the first quarter.
LoPinto found Hall to put up a six-point lead at the start of the second quarter.
Harrison won the resulting draw and passed the ball to Waters. The midfielder then found fellow midfielder, senior Emily Heller, for UF’s seventh goal.
Florida failed to score on a penalty shot, Mercer then cleared the ball up the field and snuck their first goal by Reznick. The Bears warmed up and scored a second goal shortly after.
Sophomore midfielder Josie Hahn scooped up the ground ball after the following draw and found Davies to record another point for the Gators.
A Mercer defender stepped inside the crease, and Hall received a penalty shot. She found the back of the net to put the Gators up 9-2.
Hall passed the ball to fifth-year attacker Tayler Warehime, who was stationed in front of the crease, for a shot to end the second quarter with an 11-2 lead.
Mercer scored first in the third quarter. Pavinelli and Davies answered with a goal each.
Florida entered the fourth quarter up 15-4 after Heller and freshman attacker Ava Tighe scored the last two goals of the period.
The final period of the game was much slower than the previous quarters. Both teams swapped goalkeepers and made second-string substitutions.
Mercer scored the only two goals of the quarter, and the Gators won by a final score of 15-6.
The Gators will next play the Cincinnati Bearcats Saturday at noon in the Donald R. Dizney stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Contact Kate Wiggins @kwiggins@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @katewigginz.
Kate Wiggins is a second-year advertising major and women's lacrosse reporter for The Alligator. Catch her pumping iron at Southwest Rec, double-scooting her friends to class, or dancing around at the nearest EDM concert.
