Florida Lacrosse Explodes in Home Win Over Mercer

The No. 8 Gators’ lacrosse returned home in a dominant fashion Saturday afternoon. Florida defeated Mercer 23-9 to secure its first home win of the season.

After starting the season with several road games, coach Amanda O’Leary said the return to the Swamp was a welcome change.

“We needed to be home,” O’Leary said. “Travel is tough … so it’s good to be back. Love it.”

Florida wasted no time establishing control after a high-powered first quarter. Mercer struck first just under a minute into the game, but the Gators quickly responded with a scoring surge.

Boo DeWitt opened Florida’s scoring with a goal before Gabbi Koury added another just 33 seconds later. After Mercer converted a free-position opportunity, the Gators went on an 8-0 scoring run to close the first quarter.

Clark Hamilton sparked the run, while DeWitt, Koury and Ava Kristynik each helped. DeWitt ended the quarter with a hat trick with less than 30 seconds remaining.

With an 8-goal lead in the second quarter, Hamilton continued to shine. After scooping up a ground ball and weaving through multiple defenders, she scored to tally a hat trick. The Gators kept their foot on the gas after that with six more goals to end the half.

Jenny Woodings played a key role in Florida’s draw-control dominance, helping the Gators turn it into dynamic offensive plays.

“I thought Jenny did a great job on the draw,” O’Leary said. “I thought our wing people did a really good job of boxing it out.”

Florida entered halftime 17-4, triggering a running clock for the rest of the game. The Gators continued to add in the second half with a hat trick from Kaitlyn Davies and a goal from freshman Molly Doran.

“Every single player got to step out on the field that was eligible to play today,” O’Leary said. “I thought we saw some really, really good things from everybody.”

Mercer had a brief 3-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter, but Florida responded with three of its own unanswered goals. The final goal of the afternoon came from Maureen Arendt, who scored on a free-position attempt for the first goal of her career.

O’Leary said the game also showed improvement in Florida’s physical play following its loss against the Navy.

“That was one of the things that we stressed after the Navy game,” O’Leary said. “It was good to see us have a little bit more of a response to that physicality piece.”

Despite the win, O’Leary noted there are still areas for improvement, particularly finishing opportunities and securing ground balls.

“We’re getting really good looks at the goal cage,” she said. “We need to finish a little bit better.”

Florida will look for another home win as it prepares for a midweek matchup against the University of Pennsylvania before conference play begins.

Category: Gators Lacrosse