GAINESVILLE, Fla.—The Niagara University women's lacrosse team fell on the road to No. 4 Florida, as the Gators earned a 21-4 victory Saturday afternoon at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.

"Today we faced one of the best teams in the country," head coach Wendy Stone stated. "The effort and the hustle was there for 60 minutes. We are constantly trying to challenge ourselves to become a better team and you get better by playing the best."

The Gators got on the board early, as Sammi Burgess found the back of the net just 38 seconds into the game of a free position shot. Florida did not let off the gas pedal, pushing its lead to 8-0 in the first ten minutes before junior Molly Gray got Niagara's first goal at the 17:27 mark. Less than a minute and a half later, Danielle Maio scored on a free position shot to bring the game back within six. However, the Gators closed the period on a 7-0 run to go into intermission with a 15-2 lead.

After the half, Niagara was off to a quick start making the first score with just one minute off the clock after a Cailyn Negus free position goal.  Though that didn't slow Florida down as they countered back going on a 6-0 run. The Purple Eagles tried to force a comeback, holding Florida scoreless over the final 10 minutes of the contest, but there wasn't enough time left in the game. Taylor Wolf knotted the last point of the afternoon with a free position goal at the 5:40 mark to leave the final score, 21-4.

"There were many bright spots in spite of the score," Stone continued. "We came out and made adjustments in the second half and were able to limit our turnovers to create more on the offensive end of the field."

Andrea Francisco played the majority of time in goal for the Purple and White, making five saves, while fellow teammate Amanda Yavorek started the game making one stop on the afternoon.

Niagara will remain on the road for its next game, traveling to DeLand, Fla. to face Stetson on Wednesday, Mar. 11 at 4 p.m.