Florida knows what it does wrong in losses, but the young team can’t seem to avoid making those mistakes.
In its four defeats this season, three against ranked opponents, UF has committed 83 turnovers, allowed 61 goals and failed to capitalize on its scoring opportunities.
The Gators (6-4, 0-2 American Lacrosse Conference) will look to avoid that kind of play tonight when they host Oregon (4-6) at 6:30.
Of the teams’ four common opponents, they each defeated Jacksonville and St. Bonaventure but lost to North Carolina and Johns Hopkins.
In a matchup of similar teams, Florida will emphasize keeping its focus in the face of adversity, should it fall behind.
“We compete for a half or a certain amount of time, and then we don’t,” UF coach Amanda O’Leary said. “I’m not going to make excuses for it, as a group we need to figure out how to overcome those obstacles and beat these higher ranked teams, and learn how to win and compete at that level.”
The Gators’ inconsistency began in February when they would take leaps forward then revert to old mistakes.
After it won the first two games of the season, UF suffered its first loss — a crushing 18-5 blow from North Carolina. The Gators won the next game, but dropped the next two games.
A three-game win streak followed the losses, but UF’s run had to end, and Ohio State were the one to do it.
Freshman midfielder Caroline Chesterman called the loss “a heartbreaker” and said her team allowed its opponent to capitalize on its mistakes, as the Gators turned the ball over 17 times.
“It’s frustrating not being able to perform as well as you know you are able to, but there’s nothing you can do except,” Chesterman said. “We’re going to learn from what happened against Ohio State, fix those things and try to win against Oregon.”
In its losses, UF has especially struggled on the offensive side. The Gators have scored double-digit goals just once in their losses, something they have done in all six of their wins.
Against the Ducks, O’Leary’s squad is going to have be ready to handle the pressure on offense.
“We need to execute just a solid offensive game plan, (because) their defense slides very early to double teams,” she said. “Defensively, we’re going to need to come out and play a solid defense. It’s just the same old thing that we try to do in every game.”
