via Ave Maria press release/website

BOX SCORE

LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University lacrosse team rolled to their second Sun Conference win of the season on Tuesday, posting their third 20-goal performance of the season in a 20-5 victory over the Warner University Royals in Lake Wales. In the first ever meeting between the two schools, the Gyrenes enacted the running clock midway through the second quarter and never looked back in their sixth win of the season.

It didn’t take long for the Gyrenes to establish their dominance on Tuesday; Ave Maria led 3-0 less than five minutes into the game and had a 7-0 lead at the 10:30 mark of the contest. Hannah Shaffrey scored each of the Gyrenes’ first three goals to post a hat trick in less than five minutes, while Abigail Seiler scored three straight goals of her own in the opening quarter, which saw AMU hold a 9-1 lead by the time the 15-minute clock had expired.

Ave Maria kept up the pressure in the second quarter, adding five more goals to give the Gyrenes 14 at the half. Shaffrey continued to be active for the Gyrenes, scoring twice more and assisting on a Sophie Paige goal. Paige scored twice herself, while Claire Ichniowski added a goal of her own. Ave Maria allowed just one goal in the second quarter, taking a 14-2 lead into the halftime break.

With the running clock enacted for the entirety of the second half, the scoring barrage from the Gyrenes slowed. AMU scored just three goals in each of the final two quarters, while Warner added three total goals of their own in the final 30 minutes. Ichniowski and Shaffrey added to their tallies in the first half with goals in the third quarter, while Monrae Prentice also got on the board with a goal.

AMU hit the 20-goal mark for the third time this season – a program record – with three goals in the final 15 minutes. The last of these goals came with just 39 seconds to play, when Orianna Eldridge found the back of the net on an assist from Shaffrey. Seiler and Paige also put balls in the net in the final 15 minutes of the contest.

The most impressive statistic for the Gyrenes in the win was provided by Seiler, who set a new Ave Maria record with 13 draw controls in the victory. Shaffrey was AMU’s leading scorer with six goals and two assists, while Sophie Paige scored five goals. Seiler added four goals to go with her 13 draw controls, and Ichniowski scored three while tying with Kylie Tittinger for the team lead with three ground balls.

Holding a 2-1 record in Sun Conference play, the Gyrenes will likely need at least one more win to earn a berth into the first-ever SUN Tournament. The first of those opportunities comes on Saturday, when the Gyrenes head to the Peach State for a meeting with a nationally ranked opponent. Ave Maria will battle the No. 4 Running Eagles of Life University on their home field in Marietta, with opening draw scheduled for 11:00 a.m.