With the season officially in full swing, Florida lacrosse’s toughest test yet came Saturday afternoon against No. 3 North Carolina, a team that Florida head coach Amanda O’Leary referred to as a “different beast” on Thursday,
In an intense bout filled with physicality and skill, the No. 5 Gators (2-1) fell to the Tar Heels (3-0) 14-9.
Donald R. Dizney Stadium was packed for the outing, as the 1,273 fans in attendance marked the third-largest crowd in Florida lacrosse history.
The match was taken over by a pair of sisters, UNC redshirt freshman attacker Chloe Humphrey and graduate student attacker Ashley Humphrey, both of whom the Gators had no answer for.
Chloe Humphrey, the 2023 No. 1 overall recruit by Inside Lacrosse, would finish the match with five goals.
Meanwhile, her older sister, Ashley, recorded three goals and six assists in the bout, including the final two goals of the game for the Tar Heels.
Ashley Humphrey opened up the scoring early in the first quarter with two quick goals, before the Gators got on the scoreboard as junior attacker Gianna Monaco scored on the man-advantage.
Monaco finished the bout with a team-high three goals for UF.
UNC redshirt junior defender Brooklyn Walker-Welch and junior attacker Kiley Mottice found the back of the net near the end of the first quarter to give the Tar Heels a 4-1 advantage after the opening frame.
Down three goals, the Gators instituted a more aggressive style of play in the second quarter. This, in turn, led to a far more competitive period of play where the Gators outshot the Tar Heels 10 to eight.
However, it did not put a dent in the deficit, as UNC’s offensive efficiency paired with a four-save quarter by sophomore goalkeeper Betty Nelson kept the gap at three heading into the half.
Nelson was efficient throughout the bout, saving eight shots from 17 shots on goal.
UF opened the scoring in the second quarter, as redshirt freshman attacker Frannie Hahn set up her sister, senior midfielder Josie Hahn, for her first goal of the season.
Junior midfielder Kaitlyn Davies scored the third Gator goal of the day, before freshman midfielder Gabby Greene scored on the man-advantage just a minute-and-a-half later to bring UF back within one.
The Tar Heels got one back behind freshman midfielder Kate Levy, while Chloe Humphrey scored two more goals, including a goal on a strong individual effort just over a minute before the halftime break.
The third quarter began as a defensive battle, but North Carolina would get the better of the period, outscoring the Gators four to two in the quarter.
To open the quarter, UF capitalized on a yellow card foul, as Davies scored her second goal of the game.
She was assisted by Frannie Hahn, who would finish the match with a Florida-best four assists. Monaco also scored a free-position goal for UF in the quarter.
However, the UNC offensive edge continued throughout the period, as the Tar Heels scored four goals in the third quarter.
Junior attacker Carolina Godine scored the first UNC goal of the second half on the man-advantage before redshirt sophomore Marissa White added her name to the scoresheet as well.
Chloe Humphrey then scored her fifth goal of the match just under a minute following White’s goal, which prompted a goaltending change from UF.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Elyse Finnelle entered the bout following the Tar Heels 10th goal, but she quickly surrendered her first goal of the game as Ashley Humphrey extended UNC’s lead to five.
Finnelle would finish her period-and-a-half of play with four saves, which matched the amount Hoey recorded in the bout.
Down 11-6 heading into the fourth quarter, Florida had plenty of work to do if it wanted to come away with the victory.
Despite fourth-quarter goals from junior attacker Ava Tighe, Josie Hahn and Monaco, the deficit proved to be insurmountable for the Gators, as the Tar Heels added three goals of their own.
White would score the first of the fourth quarter for UNC, before Ashley Humphrey slotted home two more goals for UNC to finish off the bout.
The Gators will now head on the road to face South Florida on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X @maxbernstein23.
Max is in his fourth semester at The Alligator, and he is the Spring 2025 lacrosse reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. He is a big South Florida sports fan, and likes to go to concerts with his friends and family.
