GRESHAM, Ore. — Player of the Game Stephanie Zwicker (Gr. Gotha, Fla.) scored five times for No. 5-ranked/Southeast Division Champion the University of Florida as the Gators went into a death-roll to turn back No. 15/Atlantic Division Champion Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech), 18-0, in the opening round of the 2018 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Washington at Mt. Hood Community College.
In the second shutout in the first five games of the 2018 tournament following a 14-0 victory by No. 2/Pacific Coast Division Champion California Polytechnic State University against Rocky Mountain Division Champion the University of Colorado, the Gators raced out to a 5-0 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter and tacking on five more in the second quarter to hold a 10-0 lead by halftime.
Florida’s offensive pace slowed down in the second half as the squad racked up four goals in both the third and four quarters to further outdistance the Hokies and roll to the win.
Jessie Modrak (Jr., Weston, Fla.) buried three chances to join Zwicker in posting hat-tricks for the Gators, while Kelly Martin (Gr., Orlando, Fla.), Daniela Duarte (Fr., Orlando, Fla.) and Emily Hill (Fr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) each tacked on pairs of points. Marcela Gallardo (Sr., Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Jacqueline James (Jr., Orlando, Fla.), Emma Steinbronn (Fr., Orlando, Fla.) and Emily Fennell (Jr., Tampa, Fla.) accounted for the remainder of the Southeast Division Champion’s offense.
In the cage, Emily Stevenson (Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) made five saves to earn the win with Mary Campbell (Gr., Orlando, Fla.) stopping two shots in the closing minutes for Florida. Adana McWhinney (Jr., San Diego, Calif.) took the loss for Virginia Tech with six saves in the first half, while Spencer Collins (Jr., Harrisonburg, Va.) closed out the contest with two saves in the second half.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 15 Virginia Tech | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 |
| No. 5 University of Florida | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | – | 18 |
| Florida Goals: | Stephanie Zwicker (5); Jessie Modrak (3); Kelly Martin (2); Daniela Duarte (2); Emily Hill (2); Marcela Gallardo; Jacqueline James; Emma Steinbronn; Emily Fennell | |||||
| Virginia Tech Goals: | None | |||||
| Saves: | Florida – Emily Stevenson (5, 21 minutes), Mary Campbell (2, 7 minutes) ; Virginia Tech – Adana McWhinney (6, 14 minutes), Spencer Collins (2, 14 minutes) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Florida – 2 ; Virginia Tech – 4 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Florida – 1-for-4 ; Virginia Tech – 0-for-2 | |||||
| Sprints: | Florida – 3-for-4 (2nd, 3rd, 4th) ; Virginia Tech – 1-for-4 (1st) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Kacie Bund, Marvel Shoen | |||||
Virginia Tech’s Emily Robinson (#15) tries to get around the University of Florida’s Kelly Martin (#9)
University of Florida coaches Katie Larson & Tim Larson give instructions
University of Florida’s Mariana Gallardo (#7) eyes an opening as Virginia Tech’s Ashlyn Moorman (#8) defends
Virginia Tech’s Emily Robinson (#15)
