Florida’s Defensive Wall: Bragg, Finnelle Earn Big 12 Weekly Awards

As the No. 4 Florida lacrosse team earned a 2-0 record last week, two Gators received Big 12 weekly honors on Tuesday afternoon. Junior defender Theresa Bragg is the Big 12 Defender of the Week and redshirt junior goalkeeper Elyse Finnelle is the Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week. 

The two played a critical role in Florida’s defense in wins over Jacksonville and Colorado. They helped hold both teams to just 8.5 goals per game on 17-for-53 shooting (.321).

https://twitter.com/GatorsLAX/status/1912234723847385282

This award marks Bragg’s third Big 12 Defender of the Week title. She recorded three caused turnovers and a ground ball this past week. The captain also held Jacksonville and Colorado’s leading scorers to one goal each. 

Currently, Bragg leads the Gators in caused turnovers with 23. She has also tallied 19 ground balls across 15 games. 

Meanwhile, Finnelle secured 20 saves across two games, logging a .571 save percentage. She also tallied a season-high 11 saves against Colorado on Saturday.

In total, Finnelle has 59 saves in 14 appearances and seven starts in the cage. This honor is her first Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week award this season. 

Next Up

Florida hosts the University of Cincinnati (8-7, 1-2 SEC) at Donald R. Dizney Stadium on Saturday at noon. The Gators (13-2, 3-0 Big 12) hope to extend their 10-game winning streak.