GAINESVILLE, Fla.—The UMBC women's lacrosse team (1-1) lost to No. 17 Florida (3-1) by a score of 16-6 Wednesday evening at the Gators' Dizney Stadium.
Florida scored the first six goals of the game before UMBC senior attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) put the Retrievers on the board at the 19:17 mark of the first half, and the Gators led, 6-1, at halftime.
After the hosts scored the first two goals of the second period, UMBC tallied three of the next five to make it a 10-4 game with 22:31 to go, but Florida rattled off six straight over a four-minute span to put the game away.
Junior midfielder Alicia Krause (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron/Duquesne) led the Retrievers with two goals, while freshman midfielder Kristen Bilney (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) tallied the first goal of her career.
Florida midfielder Kitty Cullen led the Gators with five goals, while midfielder Ashley Bruns, the reigning national Rookie of the Year, tallied five points on four goals and an assist.
Sophomore Kendall Mason (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor) and senior Natalie Rau (Forrest Hill, Md./Fallston) each played 30 minutes between the pipes and combined for five saves, while Florida goalies Mikey Meagher and Cara Canington combined to stop six shots.
The Gators outshot the Retrievers, 39-16, including 21-7 in the first half. Florida also held a commanding 19-5 advantage on draw controls, but ground balls were even at nine apiece.
The Retrievers return to action on Saturday, Feb. 26, when they visit American at 1 p.m.
