GAINESVILLE, Florida – Tournament Most Outstanding Player Brianna Harris had six goals and four assists, while Shannon Kavanagh added six goals of her own to lead Florida to a 19-4 win against Temple Saturday in the American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
 
The top-seeded and No 7/8-ranked Gators claimed their second consecutive American Athletic Conference title and earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Florida will take a 13-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament.
 
Three players accounted for 16 of the Gators’ 19 goals as Grace Haus scored four times, including a first-half hat trick as Florida built an 11-2 lead after 30 minutes.
 
Florida effectively ended the game in the first nine minutes as the Gators fired 12 shots at the Temple cage and scored the game’s first five goals. Kavanagh opened the scoring with back-to-back goals, followed by the first two from Haus and the first from Harris to stake the Gators to a 5-0 lead.
 
Temple was able to regroup through the second 10 minutes as the Owls got goals from Bridget Whitaker and Belle Mastropietro to make it 5-2, but Florida responded less than a minute later as Haus completed a hat trick with a free position goal and Kavanagh added two more to make it 8-2 with 10:01 left in the first half. Harris reeled off three straight goals to close the half, giving the Gators a nine-goal cushion entering halftime.
 
Florida finished with a 35-14 advantage in shots and a 21-11 margin in ground balls.
 
Harris was selected as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after she scored seven goals with eight assists in the Gators’ two wins. Kavanagh and Haus joined Harris on the all-tournament team, along with the Gators’ starting close defense of Kaitlyn Dabkowski, Cara Trombetta and Emma Wightman, as well as goalie Sarah Reznick.
 
Temple placed Mastropietro and Whitaker on the all-tournament team, along with midfielder Charessa Crosse and defender Katie Shallow.
 
The NCAA Championship selections will be announced Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. While Florida is assured of a spot in the 29-team field, Temple and Vanderbilt are both strong contenders for at-large bids from The American.
 
 
 
2021 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN’S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
May 6 and 8 | Donald R. Dizney Stadium | Gainesville, Florida
 

Semifinals | Thursday, May 6
No. 1 Florida 19, No. 4 Cincinnati 6
No. 3 Temple 16,  No. 2 Vanderbilt 11
Final | Saturday, May 8
Florida 19, Temple 4

 
 
Most Outstanding Player
Brianna Harris, A, Florida
 
 
All-Tournament Team
Kaitlyn Dabkowski, D, Florida
Brianna Harris, A, Florida
Grace Haus, A, Florida
Shannon Kavanagh, M, Florida
Sarah Reznick, G, Florida
Cara Trombetta, D, Florida
Emma Wightman, D, Florida
Charessa Crosse, M, Temple
Belle Mastropietro, M, Temple
Katie Shallow, D, Temple
Bridget Whitaker, M, Temple
Cassidy Orban, M, Vanderbilt