Tampa Overpowers Ave Maria in 17-1 Rout
Four Spartans notched hat-tricks while the UT defense held the Gyrenes without a shot-on-goal in the opening half. Sophomore Natalie Carraway led the charge with seven points for Tampa.
TAMPA, Fla. – Unloading a 17-goal onslaught, the University of Tampa women's lacrosse team conquered Ave Maria University by a 17-1 score on Wednesday evening at the Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex.
The Spartans improved to 4-9 on the season while the Gyrenes concluded 2016 with a 5-7 overall record.
The UT defense limited the opposition to a lone goal for the first time in program history. The Spartan back line held the Gyrenes to just five shots on goal while forcing 15 caused turnovers.
Senior Amanda Parker and freshman Liz Kramer were stalwart on defense, each causing three AMU turnovers while the latter scooped up three ground balls and three draw controls. Defender Emily Stevenson and midfielder Paige Johnson each grabbed four ground balls to lead the Spartans.
Sophomore Natalie Carraway stole the show on offense with a 7-point barrage to tie her career-high. The attacker secured a hat-trick with three goals while assisting four others to match her last 7-point performance on March 21, 2015 against Shorter.
Four Tampa student-athletes recorded hat-tricks in the 17-point maiming, as Carraway, freshman Rachel Crawford, junior Emilie Barbosa and fellow junior Amanda Voges each netted a trio of goals. Attackers Crawford and Barbosa each chipped in an assist to secure four points apiece.
Sophomore Amanda Rom dominated on the draw, securing five draw controls while adding three ground balls two assists and a goal in her rounded effort. Three freshman also recorded goals for UT as Allie Popelar, Caroline Forester and Katie Yockman each found the back of the net. For attacker Yockman, the goal marked the first of her career.
Sophomore Madison Creech scored the remaining goal for Tampa as the torrid offense proved too menacing for the visiting Gyrenes.
Picking up the win for Tampa was senior Caili Guilday (4-9) as the netminder started the first half in goal for the Spartans. The UT defense was successful in keeping AMU without a shot-on-goal for the first 30 minutes of play. Sophomore Vala Molamusa entered the game at the start of the second half, as Tampa owned a 12-0 lead. The goalkeeper recorded three saves before junior Wylie Cassidy would close out the final eight minutes of play with a lone save.
The Spartans will conclude the regular season with a Saturday road contest against Saint Leo University in St. Leo, Fla. Live stats as well as a video webcast for the 1 p.m. matinee will be made available through www.tampaspartans.com.
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