GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 19 women's lacrosse team (2-4) fell behind 6-0 in the first 10 minutes to No. 8 Florida (6-2) on Tuesday afternoon at Donald R. Dizney Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. and were unable to overcome the deficit, dropping a 17-9 decision to the Gators.
 
"Florida is a very good team," head coach Cindy Timchal said after the game. "They beat Maryland earlier this season. Today, they had solid goalie play and they had some players who had massive days. The last few games, our issue has been winning the draw and today was no different. We felt we had great preparation and practice heading into this week. However, we had a tough time getting off to a good start because of the draw differential. We are looking for consistencies in performances. By not winning the draw, we haven't had the ball as much on the offensive end. We are working hard. We just have to believe in ourselves and execute. We have to play with more poise and confidence."
 
Offensively, Reagan Roelofs (Apple Valley, Minn.) led the team with three goals, notching her second hat trick of the season. Kelly Larkin (Alexandria, Va.) and Ellie Lecker (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) joined Roelofs with multiple goals in the game, netting two goals apiece. Larkin added a pair of assists to pace the team with four points on the day. Kayla Harris (Annapolis, Md.) tied Larkin with a team-high two helpers, while adding a goal for three points on the day. Senior Carley Seekamp (East Hampton, N.Y.) also found the back of the net for the Midshipmen to round out the scoring.
 
With her two goals, Larkin tied Erin Rawlick (2008-10) for fourth in Navy history with 199 career goals. Larkin is one score shy of becoming the fourth player in Navy women's lacrosse history to score 200 or more goals in a career.
 
Defensively, Navy caused 10 of Florida's 15 turnovers. Christine Fiore (Darien, Conn.) led the team with a career high three caused turnovers, while Gil Eby (Towson, Md.) and Natalie Irwin (Annandale, Va.) added two CT apiece.
 
Abbi Young (Alamo, Calif.) and Annie Maloney (Ellicott City, Md.) split time at goal for the Midshipmen. Young recorded three saves, surrendering 10 goals, while Maloney notched four stops, giving up seven scores.
 
Florida won the draw control battle, pulling down 18 of 28 on the day. UF took advantage of 12 first-half draws to score 10 goals and take a six-goal advantage into halftime. Navy made adjustments in the second half, winning seven of 13 draws in the second stanza. Harris and Lecker led the team with three draws apiece, while Fiore chipped in two.
 
The Gators used their abundance of offensive opportunities to their advantage, scoring 17 goals on 24 shots on goal. Three players – Kassidy Bresnahan, Brianna Harris, and Shannon Kavanagh – scored five goals apiece to pace all offensive players. Defensively, goalie Sarah Reznick finished with eight of Florida's nine saves on the day to thwart the Navy offensive attack.
 
Florida opened the game fast jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. The Gators were helped by extra offensive possessions thanks to a 6-1 advantage in the draw circle. Navy broke the scoring drought with a goal by Roelofs with just under 20 minutes to play. A goal by UF pushed the home team's advantage to 7-1 with just under 18 minutes to play, prompting a change at goal for Navy.
 
Trailing 8-1, the Midshipmen used back-to-back goals by Roelofs and Seekamp to trim the margin to 8-3. Following a Florida goal, Roelofs completed the first-half hat trick with her third goal of the half. The Gators managed to net the final goal of the half to take a 10-4 lead into intermission.
 
In the second half, Lecker used an assist by Larkin to score a quick goal and cut the margin to five, 10-5. However, the home team extended the advantage to nine with a 4-0 run. Larkin halted the run with her first goal of the game, but three straight from the Gators pushed the advantage to 17-6 with just over five minutes to play.
 
The Midshipmen continued to battle, scoring the final three goals of the game. Larkin opened the final run of the game with her second goal of the afternoon. Harris followed with a goal to cut the margin to nine, and Lecker converted a free-position opportunity to provide the final score of 17-9.
 
Navy returns to action on Saturday, March 14, as the Midshipmen travel to Lewisburg, Pa. for its Patriot League opener at Bucknell. Opening draw is slated for 1:00 p.m. Live stats and live video will be available throughout the game.