UF Lacrosse: Gators Fall to Dolphins on the Road
Courtesy of University Athletic Association
BY KATIE CALLAHAN
Paisley Eagan and Shannon Kavanagh led the way offensively for Florida
The fifth-ranked Florida lacrosse team fell to the Jacksonville Dolphins 12-11 on Saturday afternoon at DB Milne Field.
The Gators drop to 3-2 on the year, while Jacksonville moves to 3-0 in 2021.
Paisley Eagan and Shannon Kavanagh led the Gators on the offensive front, recording three goals apiece on the afternoon. The game was Eagan’s second hat trick of the year, while Kavanagh’s was her fourth of the season.
Brianna Harris added two goals, while Kassidy Bresnahan, Ashley Gonzalez, and Grace Haus each found the back of the net once for Florida.
Eagan led the way in the draw circle with three draw controls, followed by two from Harris.
Emma Wightman notched a team-best two caused turnovers on the day, while Haus, Kavanagh, and Gonzalez each registered one in the game.
Wightman also posted a career-high six groundballs on the afternoon, followed by three from Haus. Four Gators each registered two apiece.
Sarah Reznick finished the day in the cage with eight saves, playing all 60:00 minutes between the pipes.
The Gators kick off American Athletic Conference play with a two-game series against Temple on March 19/21 in Philadelphia, Pa. Opening draw for Friday’s matchup is set for 3 p.m., while Sunday’s game will begin at 12 p.m.
Records
No. 5 Florida (3-2)
Jacksonville (3-0)
How It Happened
 *  The Gators hopped out to the 3-0 lead less than five minutes into the game, thanks to two goals from Paisley Eagan and one from Grace Haus. All three of the first Florida goals came by way of free-position attempts.
 *  Jacksonville answered with its first goal of the day at the 24:48 mark and ended up cutting Florida’s lead to just one with 23:09 left in the half after Alyssa Arnold netted her first of the day.
 *  Florida created some distance after the back-to-back JU goals, beginning with a converted free position attempt by Shannon Kavanagh that put Florida up 4-2, but the Dolphins responded to pull back to within one with 17 minutes remaining in the first half.
 *  Jacksonville tied the game 4-4 with 14:32 left in the first half and took its first lead at 5-4 with just under 12 minutes left in the frame. The Dolphins netted their sixth goal of the game to take the two-goal lead with just over eight minutes to play in the first half.
 *  Florida tied the game at 6-6 after back-to-back goals from Brianna Harris and Kavanagh with just under 5:30 left to play, but Jacksonville took the 7-6 lead into the locker room.
 *  Coming out of halftime, Jacksonville struck first, taking the 9-6 lead with 22:06 left in the game.
 *  Ashley Gonzalez netted her first goal of the day on a pass from Kavanagh with 18 minutes remaining to cut Jacksonville’s lead to just two at 9-7.
 *  The Dolphins continued to build on their lead, pulling ahead five goals with just under 14 minutes to play.
 *  Eagan cut Jacksonville’s lead to four with her third goal of the day, and Kassidy Bresnahan found the back of the net with 10:16 left in the game to pull Florida within three goals.
 *  Harris netted her second goal of the game with just over five minutes left to pull within two at 12-10, forcing a Jacksonville timeout.
 *  Kavanagh tallied her third goal of the day to pull the Gators to within one, but the Dolphins were able to hold on to clinch the 12-11 victory.
Notables
 *  Emma Wightman recorded a career-high six groundballs in the game
 *  Paisley Eagan knotted her second career hat trick, finishing the game with three goals
 *  Shannon Kavanagh recorded her fourth hat trick of the season on Saturday
 *  Grace Haus inched closer to becoming the 13th Gator to record 100 career goals after scoring one today. She currently sits at 99
 *  The Gators move to 9-1 in the all-time series against the Dolphins
 *  Florida drops to 5-1 against JU in Jacksonville, Fla.
 *  Streaking: Shannon Kavanagh’s 32 consecutive games with a goal is tied for the second-longest streak in program history (Record – 40 games, Shayna Pirreca)
Insight from O’Leary
 *  “Credit Jacksonville, they came out and competed the whole game. They won the 50/50 balls and dominated the draw. We will go back, regroup, and prepare for a very tough conference opponent in Temple.”
Up Next
* The Gators kick off American Athletic Conference play with a two-game series against Temple on March 19/21 in Philadelphia, Pa.
* Friday’s game is slated to begin at 2 p.m., while Sunday’s opening draw is set for 12 p.m.
* Those games are set to air on ESPN+