Florida Lacrosse Defense Sparks Second-Half Turnaround to Top Penn

The saying “defense wins games” could not have been more true for the Gators.

Florida rallied behind a suffocating second-half defense and an unstoppable offensive run to beat the Penn Quakers, 18-9, Wednesday. On top of the win, Clark Hamilton notched 100 career points.

Down by four midway through the second quarter and unhappy with how her team started the game, Gators coach Amanda O’Leary challenged the players to get back to their game in the second half.

“We challenged them to just be better, like, play Florida lacrosse,” she said. “First half: dreadful. Second half: what Florida lacrosse is capable of.”

The Gators needed a second-half reset, and that is exactly what they got. Florida may be known for its offensive dominance and versatility, but its defense cannot go unmentioned. Penn attacked the goal constantly, relying heavily on one-on-one drives early in the game, but its offense did not catch the Gators off guard. O’Leary had anticipated this kind of play from the Quakers, having played a similar style previously against Mercer.

“It’s a great lead-in to a very good Penn team,” O’Leary said about Mercer following the win. “Given that Penn kind of runs the same offense. It’s kind of a two-man, it’s a hard-driving team, they’re a little bit more cutters.”

Autumn Blair, Kaitlyn Davies and the entire Gators’ defense forced turnovers through their high-pressure zone on Penn’s drives, leading to 18 turnovers, with seven alone in the third quarter.

Another player who contributed heavily to Florida’s defense was goalkeeper Maya Soskin. She only allowed two goals the entire second half, which let the Gators shine offensively and take the lead.

O’Leary, similar to what she told the entire Florida team, challenged Soskin to trust herself and play freely.

“I thought today we saw the best version of her,” O’Leary said. “She was loose. She was free. She was just playing like Maya plays.”

The Gators’ biggest issue early was Penn goalkeeper Orly Sedransk. O’Leary called the sophomore one of the best goalies in the country, and Sedransk’s accolades support it. In her freshman season, Sedransk won Ivy League Rookie and Goalkeeper of the Year, earned All-Ivy First Team honors and was an All-American honorable mention.

On Wednesday, she had 14 saves, with five each coming in the second and fourth quarters. O’Leary said the Gators were shooting high-to-high early in the game — the opposite approach needed against Sedransk.

Once Florida adjusted, defense turned into offense. The Gators won 11 of their 18 draw controls in the second half alone, which O’Leary called a “big bright spot” for the team.

Jenny Woodings led the effort, winning seven draw controls herself while battling through heavy contact and continuing to be a major part of Florida’s improvement on the draw game.

Possessions quickly turned into goals as Florida’s second-half comeback became a 26-minute offensive run. From the middle of the third quarter to the end of the fourth, the Gators scored 10 unanswered goals to cement their win.

During the run, Gabby Greene, Gabby Koury and Frannie Hahn each recorded a hat trick, with Koury’s third goal coming in dramatic fashion.

At the end of the third quarter, Hahn found Koury flashing to the middle and fed her the ball. Koury fumbled briefly while nearly double-teamed but maintained possession. With no help on her backside, she flicked her stick behind her head and shoulder to send the shot into the upper right corner, catching her defender off guard.

Her goal extended Florida’s lead to five and left little doubt the game was under control.

To cap off the performance, Hamilton secured her 100th career point in the second quarter, finishing with five goals. She became the 27th Gator to reach the milestone, something O’Leary said reflects both talent and humility.

“She would credit her teammates with doing all the dirty work so she could do the finishing,” O’Leary said. “Just an incredible kid on and off the field.”

As the Gators prepare for Saturday’s game against Kennesaw State, O’Leary said the focus remains on consistency before conference play begins.

“We have our highs, and then we have our lows, and we’ve done a decent job of bringing ourselves out of lows,” she said. “I would just love to get some consistency.”

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Lacrosse, Lacrosse