No. 4 Gators Lacrosse Cruises to Eighth Consecutive Win

The No.4 Florida Gators lacrosse team secured its eighth consecutive win, highlighted by Gianna Monaco’s 100th career point and Jordan Basso’s 400th.

The Gators (11-2, 2-0 Big 12) defeated Jacksonville 17-7 (7-5, 3-0 ASUN) Wednesday evening at Rock Lacrosse Center.

UF junior midfielder Kaitlyn Davies opened up scoring. JU sophomore midfielder Allyx Berry responded with a goal, but Florida found its rhythm and established a 9-0 run that carried its lead into the second quarter.

UF freshman attacker Clark Hamilton scored two goals, while junior attacker Monaco and graduate student attacker Basso scored one each to end the first quarter with a 5-1 advantage.

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Monaco led the Gators with five goals, scoring four in the first half alone. In the second quarter, she recorded her 100th career point as a Gator off her third goal of the match, which was assisted by Basso. Monaco also tallied two assists, reaching a game-high seven points.

Shortly after, Monaco assisted Basso on her second goal in the second quarter, marking her 400th point of her UF career. Basso ended the day with three goals and two assists.

Monaco, Basso and Hamilton each completed hat tricks in the first half, giving Florida a 12-3 edge entering halftime.

Hamilton’s four goals contributed to her eighth hat trick in her 13 appearances.

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Moreover, Davies and junior attacker Ava Tighe both scored two goals to contribute to the scoring column. Davies led the team with three ground balls and five draw controls, along with a caused turnover.

Redshirt freshman attacker Frannie Hahn also tallied one goal and two assists. She now has 37 assists on the season, setting a freshman program season record.

Defensively, Florida collected 16 ground balls, compared to JU’s 13. However, the Dolphins won in the draw circle with 17 draw controls, compared to the Gators’ 10.

More importantly, UF had a season high .650 save percentage in the net, saving 13 of 20 shots on goal. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Elyse Finnelle tied a season-high nine saves on 14 shots. Meanwhile, freshman goalkeeper Susan Radebaugh blocked four of six shots during the fourth quarter, setting a new career high.

In the second half, the Gators’ pace slowed down, but their first-half lead kept them in control of the game. Florida outscored JU 3-2 in the third quarter.

Both teams scored twice in the final quarter, with Tighe scoring the first and last goal.

Coming Up

The Gators travel to Boulder, Colorado, to take on the University of Colorado (6-5, 2-0 Big 12) on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.