Florida came up with its biggest win of the season while Vanderbilt held off upset-minded Colgate to highlight three midweek games for American Ahtletic Conference teams Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16
Florida 14, Syracuse 10
Vanderbilt 18, Colgate 16
Davidson 18, East Carolina 8



NO. 13 FLORIDA 14, NO. 3 SYRACUSE 10
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 13th-ranked Florida lacrosse team put together a stellar performance under the lights on Wednesday night, topping the third-ranked Syracuse Orange 14-10 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
 
For the fourth time this season, Danielle Pavinelli led Florida’s offensive attack, posting a team-high four goals. Maggi Hall and Ashley Gonzalez each found the back of the cage three times in the game, tying their career-best marks.

“We came out really prepared tonight" said Florida head coach Amanda O'Leary. "Our scout team offense and our scout team defense really set us up for success with our starters. This was a total team win and it was great to see how much energy the team came to play with tonight.”
 
Emma LoPinto added two goals of her own in the victory, while Emily Heller and Emerson Cabrera each netted one.
 
LoPinto dished out four assists to bring her to six total points on the night, followed by two from Pavinelli and one from Hall.
 
Liz Harrison led the way in the draw circle for Florida, posting six in the game, while Heller added three of her own.
 
The Gator defense held Syracuse to its season-low scoring output on Wednesday night and held them to just a .385 shooting percentage. Emma Wightman led the way with a career-high four caused turnovers, followed by three from Leigh Lingo. Maggi Hall added two of her own, while Pavinelli, Maeson Tydings and Catherine Moriarty each pitched in one.
 
Maeson Tydings recorded a career-high four groundballs, followed by two apiece from Lingo and Pavinelli.
 
Sarah Reznick tallied 11 saves in the game while only allowing 10 goals, recording a .524 save percentage on the night.
 
The Gators are back in action on Sunday against Drexel in Philadelphia, Pa. Opening draw is slated for 11 a.m. at Vidas Field.



VANDERBILT 18, COLGATE 16
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt overcame a three-goal deficit in the second half to defeat Colgate 18-16 on Wednesday afternoon at the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex.
 
Senior Karlie Bucci scored four times to lead the Commodores. Bucci’s fourth goal of the contest with 8:01 remaining in the fourth quarter put Vanderbilt in front for good at 16-15.
 
Colgate rushed out to an early 5-1 lead just seven minutes into the game. The first half continued its fast pace as the Commodores scored six of the next seven goals to close out the first quarter with a 7-6 advantage.
 
The Raiders outscored the Commodores 4-2 in the second period and took a 10-9 lead into halftime.
 
Trailing by three in the third quarter, Paige Finneran scored with nine minutes left, sparking a 4-1 run for the Dores to retake the lead.
 
Colgate responded to pull even at 14-14 with 12 seconds left in the third before Megan Mangines earned a draw control, sprinted towards the Colgate goal and make an impressive pass to a wide open Bucci for a Vanderbilt score with less than a second on the clock.
 
Colgate would tie the game again at 15-15 early in the fourth before Bucci put Vanderbilt on top for good.
 
Wednesday’s game saw six ties and four lead changes. Seven Commodores scored two or more goals. Gabby Fornia led Vandy with six points, scoring twice with four assists.
 
Lexie de Roziere picked up the win in goal while making eight saves.
 
The Commodores hit the road to face Hofstra on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.


DAVIDSON 18, EAST CAROLINA 8
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- A first quarter deficit was too much for the East Carolina women's Lacrosse team to overcome as the Pirates fell to Davidson 18-8 on Wednesday afternoon.  
 
East Carolina drops to 5-4 on the season while Davidson advances to 6-0.
 
Davidson jumped out to an early 5-0 lead as ECU could not keep them out of the goal, with the fifth coming at the 6L34 mark. The Pirates would respond less than a minute later by scoring their first goal of the match from Sophie Patton. Momentum was cut short quickly as Davidson was able to rattle off three more goals to take a dominating 8-1 lead. The Pirates had a brief stint of life after Payton Barr scored with 11 seconds left in the opening frame, making it 8-2 after 15 minutes.
 
The second quarter was more of the same as Davidson continued to pour on goals and holding the Pirates to only one goal. It was not until there was 4:26 left in the half that Ellie Bromley was able to score for the Pirates. As time was expiring in the half, Elizabeth Wilson sliced the ball through the defense and scored at the buzzer, bringing some energy into Johnson Stadium despite the 14-4 deficit.
 
The Pirate defense improved after the half, allowing only three goals in the third quarter.  But on the other end, Davidson was able to hold the Pirates to only one goal, which was a goal from Megan Tryniski. This left ECU down 17-5 heading into the fourth.
 
While the game might have been already decided by the fourth quarter, the Pirates showed life with two goals from Leah Bestany and one by Frances Kimel. 
 
Davidson outshot the Pirates 33-24, but both teams were tied with 15 ground balls. ECU only converted 1-of-5 free-position shots as opposed to Davidson's 7-for-10. The Pirates did lead in draw controls 16-13 while the Wildcats turned the ball over 12 times compared to 11 for ECU.
 
Kimel led ECU with four points on one goal and three assists while Bestany led the team with two goals and three ground balls. Flynn Reed had a team-high six draw controls. Brynn Knight started the game at goalkeeper, playing the first 12:17, while Sophie Bandorick finished the final 47:43 and made seven saves.
 
The Pirates will return to action on Sunday afternoon as they head to Johns Hopkins.