Florida Lacrosse Wins Season Opener

The No. 5 Florida Gators lacrosse team defeated No. 11 Johns Hopkins 12-11 in its first match of the season Friday in Baltimore.

Got it done in Baltimore 😎#FLax | #GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/9S4sfuxicW

— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) February 7, 2025

First Quarter

The Gators scored the first two points of the game in the first five minutes by junior attacker Ava Tighe and junior midfielder Kaitlyn Davies. The Blue Jays were able to score at goal with 8:43 remaining, but UF responded with another goal by Davies with 7:13 remaining. The quarter ended 3-1 with Florida leading.

Second Quarter

Johns Hopkins responded quickly in the quarter with a goal in the first 16 seconds. Florida answered with a goal by junior defensive player Jenny Markey with 12:59 remaining. The Gators were leading 4-2 until Hopkins scored four points in a row. The Blue Jays led 6-4 with 7:58 remaining. Two more goals were scored by Davies and Markey to tie the contest at 6-6 to end the quarter.

Third Quarter

The Blue Jays scored the first point within 29 seconds of the quarter. Florida was able to gain a little momentum with goals from sophomore midfielder Gabbi Joury and Hahn to put UF up 8-7 at the quarter.

Action-packed Fourth Quarter

The Blue Jays started the quarter strong with three goals with 8:08 remaining. With Hopkins leading 10-8, graduate student attacker Jordan Basso was able to score her first goal of the season to bring the Gators closer at 10-9. The Blue Jays were able to sneak in another goal with 5:59 remaining.

However, the Gators dominated the last five minutes with two goals by Basso and freshman attacker Clark Hamilton. With the game tied at 11-11 with 18 seconds left, junior attacker Gianna Monaco scored her first goal to give the Gators the win at 12-11.

Hamilton, who scored her first collegiate goal, made history by becoming the first African-American lacrosse player to score a goal in the Florida lacrosse program. Georgia Hoey also had a career high 10 saves.

Up Next

Florida will host Kennesaw State at 11 a.m. Sunday in its home opener at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium.

tomorrow… you know where to be ☀️🌴

🆚kennesaw state
⏰11 a.m.
📅february 9
📍donald r. dizney stadium#FLax | #GoGators pic.twitter.com/9BrTkHwVfC

— Gators Lacrosse (@GatorsLAX) February 8, 2025