AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Women's Lacrosse team kicked off the 2026 season in dominating fashion as the Gyrenes demolished the Georgetown Tigers 20-1. Ave Maria started the running clock in the second quarter and never let their foot off the gas.
The Gyrenes raced out to a touchdown lead in the first quarter, scoring seven straight goals. Lily Hynds got the scoring started just 90 seconds into the game with a laser that beat the goalie on the right side. Twenty seconds later, Annie Dhabliwala made it 2-0 with her first strike of the year. The Gyrenes got two more goals in the next two minutes, one from Alexandra Mazurczak and another from Dhabliwala, and had a 4-0 lead just four minutes into the game. Mazurczak's goal was the first man-advantage goal of the night for the Gyrenes.
Ave Maria got three more strikes in the first quarter from Mazurczak, Dhabliwala and Anna Bocchino.
At the start of the second quarter, Georgetown scored their one and only goal to make it 7-1. The good times did not last long for the Tigers as Hynds responded 50 seconds later to bring the margin back up to seven.
Ave tacked on four more goals before the halftime break, getting strikes from Sophie Paige, Alison Fifield, Bocchino and Mazurczak. Bocchino's second goal of the night put the Gyrenes u by 10 and started the running clock with a little under five minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Out of halftime, the Gyrenes had their lowest scoring quarter of the night with just three goals. Dhabliwala netted the first one 38 seconds into the frame getting an assist from Angelina Diesslin. Mazurczak got her fourth of the night two minutes later and Paige got her second with three minutes left to play in the quarter.
AMU picked up the pace in the final 15 minutes of the game and found the back of the net five more times to get up to 20 points. Freshman Maura Barnes got the quarter started with the first goal of her collegiate career. From one of the newest players on the team to the most tenured, graduate student Elie Coyle notched the next goal for the Gyrenes. Coyle, who is listed as a defender and almost exclusively plays on the defensive side of the field, was awarded a free position shot and bounded the ball through the goalie's five hole and in for the first goal of her collegiate career.
Mazurczak and Hynds added to their multi-goal games with their final strikes of the night to make it 19-1.
The final goal came in the final minute of play as another longtime Gyrene found the score sheet. Of yet another free position, senior Lia Shaw got her second career goal with a bounce shot that flew over the goalie's right shoulder. Time expired just after the following draw and the Gyrenes walked away with an impressive 20-1 win.
"I think tonight we really kind of showed that we have a variety of players that can step up and score," said head coach Katelyn Sherman following the game. "We've been practicing for three weeks and were just really excited to play another team and to kind of set the bar high for the start of the season."
As a team, the Gyrenes took 35 shots with 25 on goal. In the midfield, Ave Maria was a perfect 11-for-11 on clears on the defensive side caused 15 turnovers and collected 31 ground balls.
Mazurczak led the team with six points off five goals and one assist. Six more Gyrenes had a multi-point game with Dhabliwala and Paige at four, Hynds and Bocchino at three and Fifield and Diesslin at two.
With the win, Ave Maria starts the 2026 season at 1-0.
The Gyrenes are back in action Friday, February 20, as the Cumberlands Patriots, who are ranked third in the NAIA preseason poll, come to town. The Gyrenes have played the Patriots in seven of the last eight years and are looking for their first ever win against Cumberlands. Opening draw is set for noon and the game will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
