AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Lacrosse team pounded the Warner Royals 20-2 Thursday evening to earn their first conference win of the season. The Gyrenes got goals from seven different players and started the running clock right before halftime.
The first quarter started off slowly as Ave Maria netted just four goals. Anna Bocchino got the scoring started with a man-advantage goal a little under four minutes into the game. Alexandra Mazurczak, Annie Dhabliwala and Lily Hynds all got their first goals of the game as well in the opening frame.
Warner scored their first goal of the game to start the second quarter and brought them back within three. That goal seemed to wake the Gyrenes up as Ave Maria exploded for seven goals to finish the frame. Dhabliwala connected for her second goal just 11 seconds after the Warner goal. The senior scooped up the ball on the draw control and then just weaved her way through the Warner defense and tucked the ball in the left corner for the goal.
Bocchino and Hynds got their second goals of the game as well following Dhabliwala's strike to put the Gyrenes up 7-1.
Just under five minutes remaining in the first half, the Warner goalie turned the ball over right into the awaiting stick of Elie Coyle. The graduate defender then rushed the goal with nobody in front of her and hit the top shelf of the net for the second goal of her career. Coyle scored her first ever goal in the season opener against Georgetown and now has two in her final season as a Gyrene.
Ave Maria found the back of the net three more times to end the quarter, getting another strike from Dhabliwala and then back-to-back goals from Sophie Paige. Paige's second goal put the Gyrenes up by 10 and started the running clock as Ave Maria went into the break leading Warner 11-1.
In the third quarter, the Gyrenes found the back of the net six more times to go up 17-1. Dhabliwala scored three of the six goals. The other three came from Bocchino, Mazurczak, and Alli Fifield getting her first goal of the game.
The Gyrenes scored their final three in the fourth quarter off the sticks of Bocchino, Fifield and Dhabliwala.
Warner scored the final goal of the game, but the Gyrenes walked off the field with an impressive 20-2 victory.
"Coming off a week and a half break, I think the girls really showed up and started playing together," said head coach Katelyn Sherman. "I think it's a good start to the home conference slate. I am really proud of the defense and how we stayed one team, even if it was a little but up and down, but overall proud of them for fighting and keeping up the momentum."
Dhabliwala led the team with seven points, all off seven goals. Bocchino and Paige were next on the team with four points, followed by Mazurczak with three, Hynds and Fifield with two and Coyle with one.
In the midfield, Haley Chapman led the team with seven draw controls. Dhabliwala was next with four and Maura Barnes was the final Gyrene with multiple controls at two.
Chapman also led the team defensively with four caused turnovers. Fifield had three while Coyle and Dhabliwala each had two. Coyle also led the team with five ground balls.
In goal, Pieniadz made three saves as she notched her seventh win of the season. That ties her for the second-most wins in a single season in Ave Maria history with Bianca Ballarin in 2017 and Emily Durr in 2024. Pieniadz is one win away from tying the school record for wins in a year.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 7-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
The Gyrenes are on the road Saturday for their next game as they travel east to West Palm Beach to take on the Keiser Seahawks. Keiser was ranked fifth in the most recent NAIA poll as they beat Life in their Sun Conference opener. Opening draw is set for 4 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
