Ave Maria: Nine Goals in First Sends AMU Past Anderson
AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University lacrosse team won on home soil for the first time this season, cruising past the Ravens of Anderson University, 16-5, at Gyrene Field. Ave Maria scored the game’s first nine goals, a cushion that would prove to be more than enough for the Gyrenes, who earned their third win of 2022 and snapped a three-match losing streak, all of which came against nationally ranked teams.
The first quarter was the Hannah Shaffrey show. The freshman scored five times in the opening 15 minutes, including four goals in a row in the span of five minutes, a run that extended Ave Maria’s lead to 9-0. Shaffrey also assisted on the fourth goal of the season from fellow freshman Claire Ichniowski, giving her six points in the opening frame. Orianna Eldridge, Abigail Seiler, and Emma Davis also added scores in the first, while Anderson did not score until 30 seconds remained in the frame.
The second quarter was tamer, in comparison, with just two total goals finding the back of the net. A free position goal from Davis, her second goal of the night, broke a stretch of more than 13 minutes without an AMU goal, and provided the Gyrenes with a 10-2 halftime lead.
Davis continued her scoring in the third, involving herself in three of Ave Maria’s four third quarter goals. The senior scored twice, and assisted on the first career goal of freshman Elizabeth Nowak. Shaffrey added her seventh point of the night, assisting on Eldridge’s goal that gave Ave Maria a ten-goal lead, 13-3, to enact the running clock.
Ave Maria added two more goals in the final period, both coming Gyrenes that had already found their way onto the scoresheet. Eldridge finished off her hat trick with a goal, assisted by Shaffrey, with just over eight minutes to play. Seiler was responsible for the final goal, beating the goalkeeper on a free position shot with just over three minutes remaining.
Shaffrey was Ave Maria’s leading scorer in the win, scoring five goals and assisting on two others. Davis followed with six points – four goals and two assists – while Eldridge finished off the trio of hat tricks with three goals of her own. Five of Ave Maria’s 16 goals were assisted in the victory, with Shaffrey and Davis accounting for four of the five assists. The other assist went to Mary Thorpe, who assisted on Eldridge’s goal to start the night.
Defensively, Monrae Prentice led the way with four ground balls and three caused turnovers, while Samantha Freeze added three ground balls. Davis and Nowak both added two caused turnovers, while the Gyrenes as a team caused 14 Anderson turnovers. Eldridge and Seiler combined for eleven draw controls – six for Eldridge and five for Seiler. In goal, Kaylee Wesolowski earned the win, saving four of the six shots that came her way in the first half.
AMU will have just over a week to prepare for their final two and a half weeks of the season, which will see the Gyrenes play five games against top 15 teams. The first of these games comes on Saturday, March 26, when AMU heads up to the Peach State for a meeting with No. 4 Life University. Opening draw against the Running Eagles is scheduled for noon in Marietta, Georgia.