Fresh off the heels of a nail-biting opening day win over Johns Hopkins on Friday, Florida lacrosse hosted Kennesaw State in its season home opener at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. From the opening draw to when the clock hit zero, it was all UF.
The Owls (0-2) were no match for the No. 5 Gators (2-0), who stormed away with a 18-5 victory.
“I thought we played really hard,” UF head coach Amanda O’Leary said after the match. “I’m really pleased with our effort.”
UF outshot KSU 36 to 10 in the match while forcing 21 turnovers and winning 18 draw controls to the Owls’ seven.Freshman attacker Clark Hamilton led the offensive charge for the Gators, scoring five goals on as many shots on goal.
“She brings such a level of explosiveness,” O’Leary said. “She’s the whole package, and she’s only a freshman.”
Meanwhile, junior attacker Gianna Monaco, who scored the game-winning goal for UF against No. 11 Johns Hopkins on Friday, added four goals of her own.
The Gators started the match on a roll, scoring three times in the first 4:06 of the morning. UF’s Hamilton added to the scoreboard first, before Monaco and sophomore midfielder Gabbi Kouri found the back of the net.
Redshirt freshman attacker Frannie Hahn and Hamilton then added a tally each as UF ended the first quarter leading 5-0.
The second quarter was an even more dominant affair for the Gators, as they scored seven goals while not allowing a shot on goal by the Owls.
Hamilton added two more goals in the period, while Monaco scored three. Both attackers ended the first half with four goals apiece.
The offensive onslaught put Florida up a whopping 12-0 at the half.
The 10-minute halftime break saw coach O'Leary make some personnel changes, including in goal, as she subbed out graduate student goalkeeper Georgia Hoey for redshirt junior goalkeeper Elyse Finnelle.
Finnelle took some time to adjust to the game, and the Owls capitalized, scoring three goals on three shots on goal in the period.
However, UF responded with three goals of its own. Freshman midfielder Chiara Scichilone scored her first career goal for the Gators.
Hamilton then followed with her fifth of the day, before junior attacker Ava Tighe scored with just under a minute remaining in the third quarter to put the Gators up 15-3 heading into the final frame.
The Owls opened the fourth quarter scoring behind junior midfielder Shannon Harrington’s second goal of the game.
UF’s Greene then scored her second goal of the day on a free-position shot, before the Owls answered with their second goal of the fourth quarter. The KSU goal was the fifth allowed by Finnelle on five shots, before O’Leary subbed her out in favor of freshman goalkeeper Susan Radebaugh.
With just under two minutes remaining on the clock, UF freshman attacker Ryann Frechette scored the final goal of the match and her first as a Gator.
The Gators will stay in Gainesville for a top-five matchup against No. 4 North Carolina Saturday at noon.
“It will be a great game, and one that will certainly challenge us without a doubt,” O’Leary said about the upcoming matchup.
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.
