Florida cruises past Old Dominion in AAC lacrosse

NORFOLK, Va. — The No. 9 Florida lacrosse team clinched the American Athletic Conference regular-season title outright after defeating Old Dominion 17-6 on Friday.

Florida improves to 12-2 on the year and 9-0 in league play, while Old Dominion drops to 3-13 and 1-8 in the AAC.

"Really impressed with the effort the team put forth today," UF coach Amanda O'Leary said. "We shared the ball well on offensive, getting a lot of different goal scorers into the mix. On the defensive side of the ball, I thought we locked in really well on our assignments."

The Gators had nine goal scorers in the game, led by five from Brianna Harris. Shannon Kavanagh followed with four goals of her own, while Ashley Gonzalez netted two on the afternoon.

Danielle Pavinelli, Kassidy Bresnahan, Grace Haus, Maggi Hall, Paisley Eagan and Shelton Sawers each found the back of the cage once for Florida.

Harris and Hall both dished out two assists apiece, while Gonzalez and Emerson Cabrera each registered a helper.

Florida won 14-of-24 draws, with Eagan and Emily Heller leading the way with four draw controls apiece. Kavanagh added three, while three other Gators each registered one.

Florida's defense — which ranks fourth in the nation — showed why Friday, holding the Monarchs to just six goals, three of which came in the final six minutes of the game. The Gators held Old Dominion to 6-of-19 shooting a .316 clip.

As a team, UF notched 12 caused turnovers, led by three from Kaitlyn Dabkowski. That mark tied her career-best, which she has hit twice before. Kavanagh added two caused turnovers of her own, while seven Gators each registered one apiece.

Dabkowski and Kavanagh each tallied a team-high four groundballs — a career-high for Dabkowski and a season-best for Kavanagh. Haus added three groundballs, while Cara Trombetta and Eagan each added two of their own.

Sarah Reznick was stellar in the cage, recording nine saves, while only allowing three goals for a .750 save percentage.

The Gators close out the series with the Monarchs on Sunday, which serves as the final conference game for both teams. Opening draw is set for 10 a.m. at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.