UF Lacrosse: Gators Top Cincinnati to Advance to AAC Championship
Courtesy of University Athletic Association
The top-seeded Florida lacrosse team overpowered the fourth-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats 19-6 on Thursday evening in the American Athletic Conference semifinal at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
The Gators – winners of 12 straight games – are now 15-2 on the year, while Cincinnati finishes its season 7-10.
Paisley Eagan and Grace Haus led the way with four goals apiece, followed by two from both Shannon Kavanagh and Danielle Pavinelli. Kavanagh’s first goal of the day was her 200th career, making her just the fourth Gator to reach that milestone.
Seven Gators each tallied one goal on the afternoon: Brianna Harris, Kassidy Bresnahan, Ashley Gonzalez, Shelton Sawers, Emily Heller, Kaala Puglisi, and Janine Suris.
Harris dished out five assists on the evening, tying her career-best mark. Bresnahan tallied two helpers of her own to tie her career-high, while Eagan and Gonzalez each registered one assist in the game.
Florida won 16-of-25 draw controls, led by eight from Kavanagh and two from Heller.
UF’s defense was locked in against the Bearcats, allowing only two goals through the first 47 minutes of the game and causing a total of eight turnovers.
Kaitlyn Dabkowski was lights-out on defense, recording a career-high four caused turnovers and a personal-best four groundballs.
Sarah Reznick had a stellar game in the cage, recording seven saves and only allowing three goals for a .700 save percentage. She also posted a career-high five groundballs in the victory.
The Gators advance to the AAC Championship on Saturday, taking on the winner of Vanderbilt-Temple. Opening draw is slated for 12 p.m. on ESPN+.