CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Senior midfielder and Tewaaraton Finalist Shannon Gilroy powered the Florida Gators (15-5) to a 15-10 win over the Stanford Cardinal (15-3) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Fetzer Field on Friday evening. With the win, Florida advanced to the second round where they will meet No. 2 North Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Gilroy scored a game-high five goals and became the 12th woman in NCAA Division I history to score 250 career goals.
The Gators used two runs, one coming in the first half and the other coming in the second, to change the momentum of the game.
Midway through the first half with the score 3-3, Florida ripped off a 5-0 run to build a 9-3 lead by the 5:39 mark. During the run, Florida scored four goals during a span of 37 seconds to swing the momentum in its favor.
Exiting halftime with a 9-4 lead, the Cardinal held the Orange and Blue scoreless for the first 14 minutes of the second half. Clinging to a 9-8 lead at the 16-minute mark, redshirt junior Nicole Graziano keyed Florida's second game-changing run.
After Graziano scored off a free-position shot, the Gators went on to score four more goals, pushing their lead to 14-8 with 10 minutes left in regulation.
Gilroy led all scorers with seven points on five goals and two assists, while adding eight draw controls and one caused turnover. Sophomore Mollie Stevens added three goals and Graziano and junior Devon Schneider tallied two scores.
Junior goalkeeper Mary-Sean Wilcox played a strong game in net, limiting the nation's top-ranked scoring offense to its second-lowest goal total of the season. Wilcox made eight saves, including six during the second half.
Mary-Sean Wilcox limited the nation's top offense to just 10 goals, making eight saves. (Photo: Tim Casey)
Bracket
First Round: Florida 15, Stanford 10
Second Round: Florida vs. No. 2 North Carolina | Sunday, May 10 | 1 p.m.
Full Bracket
Numbers of Note
- Florida improved to 2-0 all-time against Stanford – both wins came in the NCAA Tournament First Round
- Florida is now 3-0 all-time in NCAA First Round games and has advanced to the Second Round in five-straight seasons
- The Gators became just the second team all year to hold Stanford to 10 goals or less.
- Shannon Gilroy netted five goals and now has 254 in her career, which ranks tied for ninth all-time in NCAA Division I history
- Gilroy became the 12th woman in NCAA Division I history to score 250 career goals
- Gilroy entered today's game second-nationally in points while ranking third-nationally in goals. She now has 96 points and 72 goals in 2015
- Sophomore Mollie Stevens extended her program-record goal-scoring streak to 24 games with an unassisted goal at the 6:04-minute mark in the first half
- Redshirt junior Nicole Graziano scored two goals and dished out two assists and now has career highs this season in goals (26), assists (14) and points (40)
- Junior Devon Schneider tallied two goals and eclipsed the 30-goal mark for a second-consecutive season
- Sophomore defender Caroline Fitzgerald tied a season high causing three turnovers
Mandee's Minute
Head coach Amanda O'Leary
Thoughts on the game:
“Defensively we played really well. I though Mary-Sean Wilcox put forth one of her best efforts that I have seen from her. Offensively, I thought Shannon Gilroy had some great goals and the whole unit worked well as a team – that was a nice thing to see.”
On limiting the nation's top-ranked scoring offense to 10 goals:
“Our defense had to really step up today and they did. That Stanford team has phenomenal attackers and so it needed to be a team effort, and it was today.”
On the second-half Stanford run:
“It is something that has been a big nemesis of ours all year. When they got the score within one I was starting to panic, quite honestly. But, I am proud of our team for digging deep, stepping up and scoring the next four goals.”
On the playing UNC on Sunday:
“[North Carolina] is the well-deserved No. 2 team in the country for a reason. But again, we can beat and play with anybody and we showed that today. I am really excited for our players. They worked really hard all season for these moments and they really stepped. I am looking forward to Sunday.”
What's Next
Florida advances to the second round and plays No. 2 seed North Carolina at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Fetzer Field. The game will be a rematch of the Gators' season-opener against the Tar Heels, which UNC won, 17-11, in Gainesville. Advanced tickets can be purchased here.
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