Off to their best start in program history, the No. 3 Florida Gator lacrosse team had no intention of losing its home opener. The Gators welcomed in No. 18 Stony Brook Wednesday afternoon, and sent the Seawolves home after a 16-9 victory. Senior Brittany Dashiell and sophomore Shannon Gilroy both had four goals for the Gators, while senior Kitty Cullen totaled five points on three goals and two assists.
Florida stretched the score to 10-1 by the middle of the first half, but a late slump let Stony Brook back into the game for a halftime score of 10-5. Florida head coach Amanda O’Leary says while the team executed well, the lull in intensity is unacceptable.
The Gators pulled it together in the second half when O’Leary pulled senior goalie Mikey Meagher for freshman Mary-Sean Wilcox. While not an indictment of Meagher, Wilcox played well down the stretch, allowing only one goal and swinging the momentum positively back to the Gators.
Nora Barry, Ashley Bruns and Gabi Wiegand all scored for the Gators, who moved to 4-0 for the first time since the program was established.
Florida hosts two more home games this week – Friday against UC-Davis, and Sunday against Albany. Opening draw against UC-Davis is set for Friday night at 6:30 p.m.