AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria University Ultimate Frisbee team won their first ever varsity match Saturday night, defeating the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 16-9. It was a come from behind win for AMU who got off to a slow start but was able to rally off large streaks of points to get the win.

FGCU started off strong, playing really good defense to end Gyrene offensive possessions and having strong throws that players could run under and grab for points. Through the first 15 minutes of the game, the Eagles built up a 5-0 lead.

Then, Ave Maria struck back and scored their first point as a varsity squad. Liam O'Rourke gave a strong throw from about 35 yards out that the captain, Garrett Hallinan, was able to run under and jump up to make the grab and score the first ever point in AMU history.

That score for the Gyrenes felt like a turning point, and Ave Maria took control of the game. In the final 30 minutes of the first half, the Gyrenes outscored the Eagles 5-2, and went into halftime only down 1, 7-6.

The second half was all Ave Maria. The Gyrenes outscored FGCU 10-2 in the final 45 minutes of the game. Ave Maria was playing great defense, knocking discs down and forcing the Eagles to make errant throws and bad passes that led to turnovers. When the Gyrenes had the frisbee, they moved swiftly down the field and were able to capitalize and put points on the board. When the final buzzer sounded, the Gyrenes walked off the field with an impressive 16-9 victory.

Ave Maria starts their first ever varsity season in Ultimate Frisbee 1-0 and will look to stay undefeated when they take on the Florida Tech Panthers next week.