Florida Lacrosse Holds On to Win Against Jacksonville

All eyes were on freshman goalkeeper Maya Soskin as the Jacksonville Dolphins drove down the field for one more goal to force the Gators into overtime. Luckily for Florida, Soskin delivered Wednesday at Dizney Stadium.

With her eighth save of the evening, the Gators held on to a 12-11 lacrosse win against the Dolphins and extend their streak to nine. Coach Amanda O’Leary was far from satisfied with the team’s performance but glad the girls got a taste of the high-pressure situations they will face in the postseason. 

“This was a great test for us,” the UF coach said. “It pushed us to our limits.”

The beginning of the game foreshadowed the intense ending to follow. Defensive breakdowns allowed the Dolphins to find players cutting in the middle and score four back-to-back goals, putting Florida in a deficit early on.

While this took a pause in the second and third quarters, the fourth put pressure back on the Gators. Up by seven goals at one point in the game, Florida took its foot off the gas. Jacksonville, which O’Leary said doesn’t give up, played until the final second. 

The Dolphins (9-5) scored six unanswered goals in the final 23 minutes of the game to try to rally for an upset. Jacksonville ran plays to isolate Florida’s defenders, creating one-on-one situations that the Dolphins took advantage of.

“We needed to adjust,” O’Leary said. “We needed to push them into the help … there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

On top of their offense, the Dolphins’ defense limited the Gators. Ranked No. 23 for a reason, Jacksonville held Florida to only two goals in the first quarter and none in the fourth, even causing a shot-clock violation for one of the Gators’ possessions. 

Jacksonville’s goalkeepers anchored the team’s smothering defense. The 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference goalie of the year, Brookelynn Hodgin, who normally averages four to five saves a game, saved four goals in the first quarter. Elia Alewine subbed in during the third and had a perfect save percentage with six to shut out Florida in the fourth quarter. 

Great goalie opponents and poor offensive decisions and management caused Florida to once again score below the season average of 15 goals a game. 

“We were our own worst enemy in a lot of those situations,” O’Leary said.

O’Leary also credited freshman Autumn Blair for the Gators’ success. 

Blair started Florida’s 7-0 run in the second quarter that gave the Gators enough cushion to hold on until the final buzzer.  She also notched her first career hat trick, a milestone that made O’Leary smile ear-to-ear.

“She has exceeded all expectations,” she said. “Playing the way she played defensively, offensively, through the midfield … that kid’s a rock star.”

Midweek matchups are something O’Leary is glad to have on their schedule. She said it mirrors the quick turnaround teams in the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments face. Consistently performing well each game, and not just getting the win, continues to be a component of Florida’s game that needs improvement.

“You’re hoping that your team gets better each and every practice and then translates that to games,” O’Leary said. “I’m sure they will be able to learn from this.”

The Gators (12-2, 3-0 Big 12) continue in conference play Saturday at the Cincinnati Bearcats (8-7, 0-3) at noon.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Lacrosse, Lacrosse