AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University lacrosse team avenged one of its most painful losses of the 2022 season on Wednesday night, knocking off the Warriors of Webber International University, 17-7, at Gyrene Field. The victory gave AMU their first conference victory of the 2022 campaign, and gave the Gyrenes a chance to jump into third place in the southern division of the Mid-South Conference after the win over the Warriors, who are receiving votes in the newest edition of the NAIA Coaches' Poll.

Ave Maria never trailed in the conference match, scoring less than two minutes into the contest to take an early lead. The Gyrenes scored the first two goals of the match, then scored six unanswered goals after Webber got on the board. Webber scored the final two goals of the half, but the Gyrenes still held a decisive 8-3 lead at halftime. Orianna Eldridge logged a hat trick in the opening frame, while Emma Baughman scored back-to-back goals in the span of 96 seconds in the first quarter. 

The Gyrenes started to pull away in the third quarter, keeping the Warriors off the board for more than 14 minutes while scoring three goals of their own, thanks to Hannah Shaffrey, Emma Davis, and Claire Ichniowski, to extend the lead to 11-3. That lead continued to grow in the fourth quarter, where the Gyrenes outscored the Warriors, 6-3. Shaffrey, Davis, and Abigail Seiler all scored twice in the final 30 minutes, helping the Gyrenes to put the running clock on the Warriors for the final seven minutes and change of the game.

Seven Gyrenes found the back of the net, with four AMU players posting hat tricks. Eldridge led the way with four goals and one assist, while Seiler, Shaffrey, and Davis all had three goals. Seiler and Eldridge had a team-high five points each in the win, while Seiler was also the team leader with ten draw controls and four caused turnovers. Kaylee Wesolowski had her best game of the season in goal, making 12 saves and keeping more than 60 percent of Webber's shots out of the net. 

Seiler also made some AMU history in the win. The freshman logged ten draw controls for the second consecutive match, giving her 70 for the season. That total is one more than teammate Orianna Eldridge, who was the first to break the program record last week. One of the two Gyrenes will end the season with the single season program record in draw controls, a feat that will be decided in the final three or more games of the season.

Two more games against nationally ranked teams await the Gyrenes over the next week. The first of these comes Saturday, when Ave Maria hosts the seventh-ranked Life University Running Eagles at Gyrene Field. AMU will honor its senior class before the opening draw, which is scheduled for noon in Ave Maria.