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JU/UF Women: Della Rocca Nets Five vs. No. 3 Florida

Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in .
via press releases from both schools   JU   JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  – Danielle Della Rocca‘s five goals led Jacksonville University (0-3) to a second half split with third-ranked University of Florida (1-1) in a 21-14 setback Monday at D.B. Milne Field. Each team scored nine times in the second half and Sydney Matthews tallied nine saves in the period. First Half It was a defensive slugfest to start the game as neither team scored until the 12:51 mark when Shayna Pirreca scored the first of two-straight. Amelia Pedwell rang in JU’s first goal on a free position shot 11 minutes into the half. The Gators scored twice more before Danielle Della Rocca scored with 15:57 remaining in the half. Florida reeled off four unanswered goals before Lillie Miller found the back of the net at 8:37. The teams traded goals with Della Rocca and Courtney Valdez scoring. The Gators scored the last two goals of the period to close with a 12-5 lead. Second Half The Dolphins kept pace with Florida as each team scored nine times. Matthews started the second half at goal and registered nine saves. The teams traded the first four goals with Rachel Aus and Valdez shooting between the pipes for JU. After UF ran off consecutive goals at the 24:06 and 23:20 marks, Della Rocca and Aus sounded the horn to cut the Gator lead to 16-9 with 20:59 remaining. Della Rocca would score the next two JU goals, her fifth and final at 15:53. Valdez ended a scoring drought with an unassisted score at 9:40, and Kasey Stevens added a man-up goal at 4:39. Ashtyn Hiron tallied JU’s final goal on an assist by Pedwell with 1:41 to go. Quote “I think offensively we met or exceeded our expectations. We felt like we gave Florida a couple of extra possessions in our clearing and draw control game. I think both teams shot the ball very well, and UF did a few things that we didn’t have an answer for. I felt like we fought hard and did many good things scoring the most anyone has against them this year. Our freshman goalie, (Matthews) had nine saves which is lights out against a team like Florida. All in all, you have to feel good about the effort of this team with how they’ve played against the competition. We have a lot of room to grow from this, and you can only grow by playing teams like Florida. We are glad we can play them each year and we can see the gap starts to narrow.” – JU Associate Head Coach Paul McCord. Scoops The Dolphins went 11-18 in clears, won 13 draw controls, and had 16 ground balls. They were outshot by Florida, 40-30, and had 12 saves to Florida’s nine. Jacksonville’s 14 points were the most UF has allowed in a game this season and the most the Dolphins have ever scored in the series. Jacksonville continues its eight-game home stretch with a Mar. 5 matchup against Davidson. First draw is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.   UF   JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida women’s lacrosse team (2-1) passed its first road test on Monday night, beating in-state rival Jacksonville University (0-3), 21-14. After being outmuscled in the draw circle in their first two games, the Gators were able to control the game from start to finish, and ended with 24 draw controls after averaging just nine in their first two games. Senior attacker Mollie Stevens set a Florida single-game record with 11 draw controls. In a game where all 30 Gators who dressed for the game saw playing time, eight different Gators found the back of the net, led by four goals apiece from attackers Sammi Burgess and Lindsey Ronbeck. Backup goalkeepers Olivia Cole and Kenzii Kittell each saw time in the cage for the first time this season, with Kittell recording two saves and Cole recording one. #PirrecaPower Pirreca sisters Shayna and Sydney once again put together a well-rounded game, combining for five goals, two assists, three draw controls and one ground ball. For the season, the Pirreca sisters have accounted for 37% (17/46) of Florida’s scoring. Records: Florida: 2-1 Jacksonville: 0-3 Notable:
  • Tonight’s win gives Florida a 32-3 (.914) record all-time in games that start after 6 P.M.
  • The Gators have now won eight consecutive road games dating back to 2016
  • Florida’s seven wins against Jacksonville are tied with Ohio State for the most wins against a single opponent
  • With two caused turnovers, senior defender Taylor Bresnahan is now tied with Shannon Gilroy (70) for the most all-time at Florida
  • Florida has never lost a game to an in-state opponent: 7-0 vs. Jacksonville, 2-0 vs. Stetson
O’Leary’s Insight: “Jacksonville played a very good game. They pushed us at both ends of the field. Credit them for a hard fought game. We did a better job in the draw circle and competing for those 50/50 ground balls. It was great to see all of our goalies get playing time. We struggled on our free position attempts and I credit Jacksonville’s goalies. We will get back to work in preparation for a tough schedule ahead.” Up Next The Gators will travel north to Maryland for a pair of spring break games with No. 16 Towson on March 5 and Loyola on March 8. Follow the Gators #FLax Twitter Instagram Facebook