Florida Lacrosse Outright Big 12 Regular-Season Champs
The seniors on the Gators lacrosse team could not have had a better send-off Saturday at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
On Senior Day, Florida secured the Big 12 regular-season title outright with a defeat of the UC Davis Aggies, 19-6. The Gators, who won a share of the title last week, remain undefeated against Big 12 teams, and a win for the seniors is the cherry on top.
“We’ll mourn these seniors,” Florida coach Amanda O’Leary said of the 11th consecutive win. “This was an electric class, and they will truly be missed for sure on and off the field.”
Despite the roster being overwhelmingly underclassmen, with 15 freshmen alone, including redshirts, the seniors showed their experience in beat UC Davis (7-8, 2-3 Big 12).
Senior captain Kaitlyn Davies kicked off Florida’s 10-0 run in the first half, scoring the first goal of the game two minutes in – but it was not just any goal.
With the goal, Davies became the 28th player in program history to reach 100 points, following Frannie Hahn and Clark Hamilton, who reached that milestone against Penn in March. She ended the match with six points from four goals and two assists.
The Gators (14-2, 5-0) only scored two goals in the first. Thanks to the help of seniors Jenny Woodings and Ava Kristynik, Florida dominated the second quarter with eight unanswered goals.
Woodings bested her career best with an impressive 12 draw controls. With 16 total draws, Florida has now won the draw battle in nine of its last 11 games. Assistant coach Lindsay Epstein had praised Woodings’ growth this season as the anchor of the Gators’ draw team before Saturday’s matchup.
Kristynik rewarded Woodings’ grit on offense, notching her first hat trick of the season in the second to put the Gators up 11-1 going into the half. The birthday girl finished the game with four goals, a season best.
“Ava played a phenomenal game today,” O’Leary said.”Came off the bench for us and was a huge spark.”
Six Gators found the back of the net, and four of those players scored three or more goals. However, Tewaaraton Award Watchlist player Clark Hamilton was not one of those players. Face-guarded the entire game, she only put up an assist, her second time this season being shut out.
Despite this, O’Leary credits Hamilton for drawing defenses toward her and away from Florida’s other offensive weapons, giving way for girls like Hahn and Davies to capitalize on.
The Gators’ defense held the Aggies to one goal in the first half and caused all eight of UC Davis’ turnovers. Big 12 Defender of the Week, Theresa Bragg, led the defense with three caused turnovers.
Despite her impact on the field, O’Leary feels Bragg’s value goes beyond the stat sheet. As the other senior captain, Bragg is the team’s “fifth coach,” holding the girls accountable, a quality a statistic cannot reflect.
“That’s a testament to what her teammates think of her,” O’Leary said about why Bragg is a captain. “That’s a huge honor here at Florida to be a captain, and her teammates appreciate what she brings.”
This is not the last time the Gators will play at Dizney Stadium. They return Thursday at 4 p.m. to face the Aggies again in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. If they win, the Gators will play for their second Big 12 conference tourney title on May 2. For now, O’Leary and the team are starting where their feet are.
“It’s really tough when you’re going to see somebody again in less than five days,” she said. “For us, it’s 0-0.”
Category: Big 12, Gator Sports, Gators Lacrosse
