via UF press release   Box Score HARRISONBURG, Va. – The No. 6 Gators ended their historic season on Saturday, falling to the No. 3-seeded James Madison Dukes, 11-8. Florida stormed back from a five goal deficit with three minutes remaining in the game, but couldn’t over the deficit to advance to Stony Brook for the NCAA semifinals. This was the first NCAA Quarterfinal Florida has made since 2014, but the fifth overall (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018). Goals were at a premium in the first half, with both teams only scoring a combined seven goals throughout the first 30 minutes. Junior Lindsey Ronbeck notched the first two goals of the game at 19:42 and 13:27, putting the Gators up 2-0. JMU battled back to tie the game at two apiece, but freshman Grace Haus scored on a pass from classmate Shannon Kavanagh to give UF the 3-2 lead. That goal was Florida’s 338th of the season, a program record – passing last season’s total of 337. Junior Haley Hicklen notched 10 saves and a blistering .714 save percentage in the first half alone. Haus came out with a quick goal in the second half to tie the game at four apiece and Kavanagh then found the back of the net just over a minute later to give the Gators the 5-4 lead. James Madison scored three quick goals to take a 7-5 lead with 24:18 remaining in the game. Haus pulled the Gators to within one at 7-6 on a pass from Kavanagh. The goal was Haus’ third of the game and was the first hat trick for the Gators in the game. Just as the Gators were within striking distance, the Dukes added three more goals to their lead, taking the 11-6 advantage with eight minutes remaining in the game. UF fought back in the final minutes of the game, with Ronbeck recording a hat trick to bring the Gators to within four at the 3:59 mark. Kavanagh followed with a goal 49 seconds later, but Florida was unable to find the back of the net after the 3:00 mark. Hicklen notched 12 saves in 60 minutes of action against the Dukes. The 12 saves is her eighth double-digit save total of the season. She finished her junior season with 17 wins in the cage, just one from tying the record for most in a single season. As a junior, she sits at 35 total in her career, 15 wins from tying the most all-time (Mikey Meagher, 50). Hicklen has racked up 178 saves through 21 games this season, which is a Florida program record for most saves in a single season. Three Gators scored in the 11-8 decision: Grace Haus (3), Lindsey Ronbeck (3) and Shannon Kavanagh (2).  Three Gators added assists on the day, led by Kavanagh’s two. Shayna Pirreca and Ronbeck also added two assists. Florida held the Dukes to 0-of-8 on free-position shots, but had 16 turnovers in the decision. Records Florida (17-4) James Madison (20-1) Notable:

• With eight goals in the game, this Gator team set a new record for most goals in a season (343), surpassing the previous mark of 337 set in 2017
• This quarterfinal game was the first for Florida since 2014 and the fifth overall in program history
• The Gators exit the BIG EAST on a 33 consecutive game win streak. The streak began in the 2015 season and is a school record for consecutive league wins.
• #PirrecaPower: Pirreca sisters Shayna and Sydney have combined to score 33% (113/343) of UF’s goals in 2018.
• At the end of the season, Lindsey Ronbeck led the Gators in goals (65) and points (81), Shayna Pirreca led the Gators in points (81) and Shannon Kavanagh led the team in assists with (28)
• On the defensive end, Cara Trombetta finished the season with 43 caused turnovers, a Florida program record
• Sabrina Cristodero led the team in draw controls, finishing with 127 in the season, a Florida program record
• Haley Hicklen earned 17 wins this season in the net and 178 saves overall, a Florida program record
• Shayna Pirreca‘s goal streak ended against James Madison, but remains a Florida record at 40 games.
• Shayna Pirreca has also tallied a point in 43 straight outings, the third best mark in program history.

  O’Leary’s Insight Opening Statement: “First off, huge thank you to JMU for their hospitality. Fantastic venue and the people who hosted us did a fantastic job, so thank you so much. Also congratulations to Shelly and the entire team – definitely the better team today. We knew they were going to come out with a fantastic game plan and we are wishing them the best moving forward.” On momentum shift in second half: “Coming out of the half, we just needed to take a deep breath. We were not finding our offense well during the first half, so we tried to revamp a bit. Credit to JMU because their defense because they did a great job against us today and really pulled us out of our comfort zone.” On this senior class: “It is very sad to see them go, they have brought so much to our program – from the team chemistry to the culture to the work ethic. They have really set a standard and been a part of the winning culture for the last four years. What they have brought is their passion. They came out every day to practice and elevated our game. They took our freshmen under our wings from the very beginning. I couldn’t be more proud of this senior class and they are going to be very missed.” Follow the Gators #FLax Twitter Instagram Facebook