Down by as many as four goals in the third quarter of Wednesday’s match, No. 6 Florida faced a challenge to secure its third ranked win of the season. However, UF’s leading point scorer in 2025 powered a Gators comeback.
Redshirt freshman attacker Frannie Hahn seemingly knew where the ball needed to go at all times, recording a joint program-record eight assists. Her final assist came with just over three minutes left when she found graduate student midfielder Jenny Markey in front of the net.
Markey converted the close-range shot, scoring the game-winner as the Gators (5-2) defeated No. 23 Navy (5-3) on Military Appreciation Day 14-13 in Gainesville. Hahn’s eight assists tied the UF record Maggi Hall set last season against UC Davis on March 6, 2024.
“She has set the bar high and exceeded expectations,” Florida head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “She’s done a phenomenal job for us, game in and game out.”
Hahn spread her assists, setting up six different Gators for two or more goals. Freshman attacker Clarke Hamilton scored a team-high three goals, earning her fifth hat trick of the season. Freshman midfielder Gabby Greene added two goals and two draw controls.
“Clarke and Gabby are both getting a lot of playing time as freshmen,” O’Leary said.”They have so much confidence and they're really comfortable doing their own thing.”
Navy freshman attacker Alyssa Chung led the match with four goals, while Midshipmen sophomore midfielder Mikayla Williams added three. Navy was more effective in goal, as sophomore goalie Felicia Giglio saved 11 of the 25 shots she faced.
For Florida, redshirt junior Elyse Finnelle claimed her second consecutive win, stopping five shots. UF dominated defensively in the second half after shifting schemes, recovering seven of nine groundballs in the fourth quarter while forcing eight turnovers.
“We were really comfortable and played well defensively, especially after the shift to zone,” O’Leary said.
The matchup proved to be physical, with Florida committing 22 fouls and Navy finishing with 19. Both teams also had plenty of free-position opportunities, as the Gators converted four goals while also allowing three on the other end.
Navy held the advantage in draw controls, outdrawing Florida 19-12. Senior defender Alyssa Daley led all players with nine draws, while Markey paced UF with five.
However, the game was aggressive from the start, with Navy committing eight first-period fouls and Florida four. Both goalies denied early free-position attempts. Navy scored the first two goals before the Gators answered with three straight. The Midshipmen responded with two more goals to take a one-score lead after the first quarter.
A pair of sisters opened second-quarter scoring for Florida when Frannie Hahn found her older sister, senior midfielder Josie Hahn, who slotted home a shot just outside the crease. Chung completed her hat trick for Navy just under five minutes into the quarter. From there, both sides added two more goals, including Hamilton scoring with nine seconds left to send Florida into halftime down 7-6.
Despite Greene scoring the opening goal of the second half, Navy controlled most of the third quarter, as Williams netted two more goals to complete her hat trick. However, Florida fought back, with freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Davies and graduate student attacker Jordan Basso scoring late in the period to bring the Gators within two.
Florida started the fourth quarter strong, as Hamilton scored twice to tie the game. Navy responded with two straight goals before Josie Hahn and Basso, both assisted by Frannie Hahn, evened the score at 13. Markey then netted the go-ahead goal, and the Gators held strong defensively to secure the comeback win.
“They played poised in that fourth quarter,” O’Leary said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them for digging back, goal for goal.”
Florida will next face Mercer in Macon, Georgia, on Saturday at 2 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.
