AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University lacrosse team began the 2023 season with a major challenge on Friday evening, facing the Panthers of NCAA Division II Florida Tech. The Gyrenes fell 15-4 to the Panthers, although Florida Tech's margin of victory was lower against the Gyrenes than in games against fellow Sun Conference opponents Keiser and St. Thomas. Friday's game was the first as head coach for Katelyn Sherman.
The Gyrene defense held tough early on, keeping the Panthers to just one goal in the first nine minutes of the game. Thanks to a goal from Orianna Eldridge around eight minutes in, Ave Maria and Florida Tech were even at one with six minutes left in the first quarter. Florida Tech fully took control from there, scoring the final nine goals of the first half, then scoring again to start the running clock.
Ave Maria never let Florida Tech's lead grow past 12 goals, as the Gyrene scored three goals in the second half after putting just one past the keeper in the first 30 minutes. Hannah Shaffrey ended Florida Tech's run of ten straight goals with her first of the season in the third quarter. Shaffrey and Eldridge both scored in the fourth quarter, as well, ending the opening game with two goals each.
Florida Tech kept control of the contest by winning 15 of the game's 22 draws. The Panthers also played well defensively, forcing 18 Ave Maria turnovers. The draw controls and turnovers helped Florida Tech stay consistently on offense, as the Panthers attempted 24 shots to Ave Maria's eight. Of those 24 shots, 16 came in the first half.
Shaffrey assisted on both of Eldridge's goals, giving her four points in the first game of the season. The two assists gave Shaffrey sole possession of the Ave Maria career record in assists, with the sophomore logging 27 in her first season and a game on campus. Elsewhere, Kylie Tittinger and Abbey Seiler both scooped up three ground balls in the opener, while Seiler led the Gyrenes on the restarts with four draw controls. Orianna Eldridge led the defensive effort with five caused turnovers, while Hannah McConologue made six saves in goal.
AMU's second week of the regular season will be a key one, with two rivalry games on the docket. The first of those games will be Ave Maria's first ever meeting with St. Thomas University, with opening draw set for 6:00 p.m. Wednesday in Miami Gardens. The Gyrenes will then welcome Georgetown College to Gyrene Field on Saturday for a rematch of last season's conference tournament quarterfinals.
