GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA — Florida’s women’s lacrosse team hasn’t had much trouble finding the back of the net.

Entering their matchup with the No. 1 Terps on Saturday, the Gators had scored at least 10 times in eight of their nine games.

Plus, No. 2 Florida had posted at least 12 goals in four of their six wins over ranked teams. In the Terps’ 14-4 victory Saturday at the Donald R. Dizney Lacrosse Stadium in Gainesville, though, the Gators didn’t come close to double digits.

Coach Cathy Reese’s squad only allowed Florida to score a season-low four times. It also marked the fewest goals the Terps have allowed all season.

“Every time I turned around standing on attack, our defense was checking and doubling,” attacker Caroline Wannen said. “In the second half, they were absolutely tenacious.”

In the Terps’ 14-9 victory over then-No. 3 Syracuse, Reese said the defense gave the Orange too many second-chance shot opportunities.

But Saturday, the Terps limited Florida to just 11 shots in the first half. Plus, the Gators didn’t control a single draw in the opening period.

“We just wanted to communicate, help each other out and limit [Florida] to one opportunity,” defender Nadine Hadnagy said.

Part of the Terps’ success can be attributed to their ability to contain the Gators’ top scoring options. Attacker Sammi Burgess, the Gators’ leading scorer, was held off the board. And midfielder Nicole Graziano, who tallied 18 goals entering the contest, was held to one.

As a team, Florida only attempted five shots in the second half.

“We came out and paid a lot more attention to the details in the second half,” Reese said. “We played great defensively both halves.”

The Terps forced 11 Florida turnovers, and once they gained possession, they were a perfect 15-for-15 in clears.

“In practice, whenever the ball is on the ground, we are forced to clear it out the entire time, even if we pick it up,” Hadnagy said. “Our attack doesn’t ride us at all and we still clear it out. We’re focusing on that all the time in practice and it really translates into games.”

Hadnagy said the Terps defense was motivated by the team’s success in the draw circle. And limiting the Gators’ opportunities helped the unit shut down a potent offense.

“Every game we come into it playing our defense,” Hadnagy said. “We were able to come out with the win and keep them to under five goals.”