The No. 5 University of Florida lacrosse team traveled to our nation’s capital this afternoon to take on No. 15 Georgetown. Junior Mikey Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.) made a school record 15 saves, and Gabi Wiegand (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.) each scored five points to lead the Gators past the Hoyas, 12-9. The win lifts Florida to 5-2 (0-0 ALC), while Georgetown falls to 2-1 (1-0 BIG EAST).

Wiegand, who scored her 100th career goal early in the first half, led the team with five goals on five shots. Cullen recorded two goals and team-high three assists, and Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) notched two goals and two assists. Caroline Chesterman (South Nyack, N.Y.) put up a pair of goals, Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) scored her 100th career point with two assists, and Nora Barry (Marcellus, N.Y.) chipped in one of each.

Emily Dohony (Parkton, Md.) led the defense with four ground balls and two caused turnovers, and Jamie Reeg (Atlantis, Fla.) added three ground balls. The Gators spread around their 12 draw controls, with Dashiell and Kayla Stolins (Glen Arm, Md.) each grabbing a team-high three.

Mikey Meagher faced 39 shots in the game, but held the Hoyas to single digits, making a school-record 15 saves in the complete game.

Caroline Tarzian led the Hoyas with three goals and an assist, and Barb Black made four saves in the goal cage.

Caroline Chesterman got the ball rolling early for the Gators, chasing down a shot rebound and pulling up a wraparound goal at 26:34 to put UF on the board. Just 32 seconds later, Ashley Bruns passed to Gabi Wiegand from behind the net, as Weigand netted her 100th career goal. Kitty Cullen tacked on another goal less than a minute later to give the Gators a quick 3-0 lead.

Kristen Coleman netted the first goal for the Hoyas at 22:20, converting on a pass from Jody Cumberpatch. After a seven-minute scoring drought, Rosie Corcoran passed to Caroline Tarzian from out of bounds on a UF turnover. Meagher went for the interception and got caught out of the goal cage, as Tarzian sunk an empty-netter for the Hoyas’ second goal.

Meghan Farrell flipped to Cumberpatch on a free-position attempt at 11:39 to tie the score and at 9:03, the Hoyas took their first lead of the afternoon, as Farrell roped an unassisted score through traffic to take a 4-3 advantage.

The Hoyas did not lead for long, as UF responded with a three-goal run over the next two minutes to pull back in front, 6-4. Bruns got it started, as Dashiell sent a quick flip to her off a free-position attempt at 8:27. Dashiell then created a turnover, which Bruns scooped up and netted at 7:34. Nora Barry then ran the same free-position play, sending a one-timer to Chesterman close in on the right to pull back ahead by two.

Tarzian capitalized on another UF turnover at 2:51, but Kitty Cullen sunk one more before the horn blew, and the Gators went to the locker room holding a 7-5 lead.

The Gators did not waste any time in the second half, winning the opening draw and scoring just 56 seconds later on a Cullen-to-Wiegand flip. The pair teamed up twice more over the next 15 minutes, and soon the Gators led 10-7.

A Hoya yellow card put the Gators on a man-up opportunity, leading Dashiell to score her 100th career point, flipping to Nora Barry on a free-position chance at 14:28.

Jody Cumberpatch kept the Hoyas in the game, notching their eighth goal at 10:18, but just 16 seconds later, Nicole Graziano (Mendham, N.J.) won a highly contested draw and passed to a wide open Bruns, who drove to the goal and sent a crosser to Wiegand for her fourth goal of the half. Kristen Coleman scored one last goal for the Hoyas, but Meagher’s impressive play in goal kept Georgetown in the single digits, as UF won by a final score of 12-9.

The Gators return home on Saturday, March 10, to take on Coach O’Leary’s alma mater, Temple University, in a non-conference matchup at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Opening draw is set for 1 p.m.