Gators Lacrosse Looks to Rebound Against Loyola
Florida lacrosse faces the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds in Baltimore after a two-week weather delay. The loss to Michigan not only dropped the Gators from No. 5 to No. 10 in the IWLCA poll but also left them hungry to get their season on the right track. Tuesday’s matchup provides just that opportunity.
“We absorb the loss, but we’ve got to learn from it,” Gators coach Amanda O’Leary said. “We got to self-evaluate what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and then try to make those changes because it’s a really quick turnaround.”
Florida is 2-3 in away games against the Greyhounds but have won the last four matchups. In its last matchup last season, while the Gators won 15-9, Loyola midfielder Chase Boyle scored six of the Greyhounds’ nine goals. She led Loyola in goals scored, ending the season with 77, closely followed by Georgia Latch with 56. Luckily for Florida, Boyle and Latch graduated.
Loyola may have lost two of their top five scorers, but threats remain on the team. The third-best scorer from last season, midfielder Elisa Faklaris, currently leads her team with six goals.
Senior Ava Kane and sophomore Mim Suares-Jury lead in points, both with seven on five goals and two assists. Junior captain, Ashley Dyer, said that beating Loyola will take understanding their new offensive scheme.
“A lot of it [Loyola’s offense] was senior led last year,” she said. “Understanding new personnel and how they’re going to run their offense is definitely going to be a target we’re going to focus on.”
O’Leary said after the season-opening loss that the team’s biggest problem was its inability to adjust. With nine new faces on the roster, chemistry on the field already presented a challenge for Florida, but it became evident in Friday’s game.
“That’s something we’re going to have to be better at,” she said. “We need to be able to adapt to things that are not something we thought a team was going to do.”
Despite their adaptability, the Gators’ offense and defense showed promise. Junior captain Ashley Dyer had said sophomores Frannie Hahn and Clark Hamilton were players who could fill Gianna Monaco’s offensive capabilities before the season started. Both players displayed their offensive potential with four points and a goal and three goals, respectively. Additionally, goalkeeper Paige Crowther, a transfer from Oregon, had five saves in her Gators debut, including a late-game save to give the Gators a final opportunity to come back.
The road environment may also act as an advantage. For some players, Maryland is home. Seven players originate from Maryland, and an additional four are from cities less than two hours away. Dyer, recruited from Elkridge, Maryland, told reporters prior to the original date of the match that she felt excited to play back at home with the chance to see familiar faces.
“It’s very empowering knowing that we’re playing at Maryland and knowing that a lot of family members can come and support me,” she said.
With first-game jitters out of the way, the Gators can look to earn their first win of the season on the road. Gabby Koury, the other junior captain, told reporters that the first game is always a learning lesson, and now is the time to respond.
“You got to take what you figure out in the first game, and you have to move forward with what you learned,” she said.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Lacrosse, Lacrosse
