Gators Lacrosse Set for Opener Against Michigan
After a postponed opener against Loyola University last week, Florida lacrosse will officially begin its 2026 season Friday at home against Michigan.
The Gators enter the year after going 20-3 in the 2025 season, including a perfect 5-0 record in Big 12 play. Florida went on to win both the Big 12 conference regular season and tournament championships and reached the program’s third NCAA Final Four.
Preseason All-American defender Theresa Bragg said Florida’s main priority is taking it one game at a time, starting with a win Friday.
“I think, obviously, our biggest focus is just to come out with a win,” Bragg said. “We’re going to take everything game by game.”
With several teams already underway, Florida has had to wait an extra week after its opener against Loyola was postponed. Now, the Gators finally get their first opportunity to test themselves in game action.
Michigan opened its season with a narrow 12-10 loss against No. 25 Notre Dame and now travels to Gainesville aiming to rebound. Although Florida has historically had the edge in the matchup, Bragg said the Gators are focused on the challenge in front of them.
“They’re a really good team, and it’s going to be a challenge to beat them,” Bragg said. “We need to play our style of lacrosse.”
With the opener marking Florida’s first true game action of the year, execution will be key.
“We just want to be clean in the details,” Bragg said. “It’s going to feel a little bit different than practices.”
Florida holds a 4-0 record against Michigan, with all four meetings taking place at home. The last matchup between the two programs was in 2023, when the Gators tallied a 17-8 victory. Florida has also found success in season openers, winning eight of its last 10.
Offensively, Florida returns three of its top five scorers from last season in Frannie Hahn, Clark Hamilton and Kaitlyn Davies, providing experience on the attacking end. The Gators will look to replace the production of Gianna Monaco following her departure, while leaning on veteran core to set the tone early in the season.
After a week’s delay, the Gators will finally take the field Friday looking to open 2026 with a statement at home.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Lacrosse
