AVE MARIA, Fla — Ave Maria ended non-conference play with a win Monday night, beating the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels 16-11. Oglethorpe gave the Gyrenes a challenge, but Ave Maria was up to the task as they got their 10th program win over an NCAA Division III school.
The Stormy Petrels opened the scoring in the first minute, but it would be the only time they held the lead. Abbey Seiler scored the equalizer a minute later on a good feed from Orianna Eldridge. Seiler struck again four minutes later with a man advantage goal to put the Gyrenes up 2-1, a lead Ave Maria would never squander.
The Gyrenes struck four more times in the opening quarter, from four different players. Eldrige got her first goal of the night, followed by Claire Ichniowski, Hannah Shaffrey and Alexandra Mazurczak.
Oglethorpe got one more before the quartered ended to make the score 6-2.
The Gyrenes and Stormy Petrels went back and forth to start the second quarter, alternating between a three-goal and four-goal lead for Ave Maria. Then, Oglethorpe's Aamanda Cason scored back-to-back goals in the span of a minute and a half to bring the Stormy Petrels back within two of the Gyrenes. Both teams locked down defensively for the final five minutes of the half and Ave Maria took an 8-6 lead into the break.
In the third quarter, the Gyrenes squashed any Oglethorpe hopes of coming back, outscoring the Stormy Petrels 5-2 in the frame. The quarter opened with Shaffrey and Mazurczak going back-to-back in the span of 19 seconds to give Ave Maria back their four-goal lead.
Following an Oglethorpe goal, the Gyrenes went back-to-back again, this time in just 12 seconds, with Lily Hynds scoring her first goal of the game followed Eldridge getting her second.
The two teams traded goals in the final five minutes of the quarter, Ichniowski striking for the Gyrenes, giving Ave Maria a 13-8 lead with one quarter remaining.
In the fourth, the two teams matched each other goal for goal, each putting three on the board. Hynds got her second goal of the game to open the quarter. The Stormy Petrels then scored two goals but was immediately responded with two goals by the Gyrenes from Elridge and Hynds, each their third of the game. Oglethorpe scored the final goal of the game, but by then it was too late.
When the final horn sounded, Ave Maria walked off with a 16-11 win.
Individually, Eldrige and Mazurczak led the team, each with three goals and an assist for four points. Seiler and Hynds also had three goals but no assists for three points. Shaffrey and Ichniowski rounded out the scoring for the Gyrenes, each with two goals.
In the midfield, Monrae Prentice scooped up 12 draw controls for the Gyrenes, tying the second-most in a game in school history. She tied Seiler, who also won 12 draws against Webber in 2022.
Between the pipes, Emily Durr played all 60 minutes for the Gyrenes, making five saves on 16 shots.
As a team, Ave Maria won the turnover battle against the Stormy Petrels, scooped up more ground balls and won more draws. It was an overall strong performance from the Gyrenes.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 3-3 on the year and finishes their non-conference schedule. The Gyrenes now move onto Sun Conference play as the march to West Palm Beach begins. The Gyrenes open conference play against the Warner Royals Saturday, March 23. Warner is just in their second year as a program, with Ave Maria winning the first ever meeting between the two schools 20-5 last season. It is the final match of the seven-game homestand to begin the 2024 season for Ave Maria. The game can be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
