Senior attack Gabby Fornia set Vanderbilt’s single-season record for assists, and the Vanderbilt lacrosse team easily defeated Old Dominion 19-2 on Saturday to push their winning streak to nine games.
The team’s seniors were celebrated before the game. The ceremonies honored Fornia and fellow seniors Griffin Gearhardt, Cassidy Orban, Halle Regan, Melissa Hawkins, Sophie Furlong, Nicki Dadino, Dede Daly and Elizabeth Scarrone.
“It [will be] hard to see them go,” head coach Beth Hewitt said of the group. “But on the other hand, they’ve done so much and left such an imprint on this program that I couldn’t be more proud as a coach.”
Fornia, Gearhardt, Orban and Scarrone excelled on their Senior Day, combining for nine goals and seven assists. Fittingly, Fornia’s record-breaking 37th assist of the season came on the first goal of the game, scored by Gearhardt.
The Commodores dominated from the start, building a 5-0 lead behind goals from Gearhardt, Orban, and juniors Maddie Souza and Bri Gross. Meanwhile, Old Dominion struggled to complete passes to players in the eight-meter circle and committed ten turnovers in the first half. Behind its strong defense, Vanderbilt carried a 6-1 lead into halftime.
“I thought our defenders, specifically, were really aggressive but under control too. We weren’t getting a lot of fouls,” Hewitt said. “We just kind of put it all together.”
The Commodores came out firing in the second half, scoring the first nine goals to push their lead to 15-1. Orban, Gross and sophomore Paige Finneran were crucial to this run, as their success on draws led to a plethora of possessions and scoring opportunities for Vanderbilt.
A special Senior Day moment came with 22:54 left in the second half. Dadino, a defender, was briefly pushed up to the attack for a chance to contribute on offense. She picked up a ground ball in the eight-meter circle and fired a shot through the legs of Old Dominion goalkeeper Brianna Blatter for her first-career goal.
“It’s always exciting when a defender scores in general, but Nicki’s just one of those people who we want to celebrate extra hard,” Fornia said of her teammate. “It was definitely exciting to be on the field with her and to be able to be a part of it.”
Vanderbilt coasted to victory for the rest of the half, and many players saw action. Freshman attacker Haley Gochnauer was able to join Dadino, notching her first career goal with 7:58 remaining.
The Commodores will look to continue their success as they take on SEC powerhouse Florida on April 16.
