For the first time in team history, Florida lacrosse hosted a Big 12 Conference matchup in Gainesville, as UF faced off against San Diego State. The result was the Gators’ most dominant performance of the season so far.
Florida outshot the Aztecs 43-19 and ultimately scored 21 goals, including 10 in the opening quarter. Twelve different Gators found the back of the net in the offensive onslaught.
Leading the way was junior attacker Gianna Monaco, who scored three goals and added four assists. Graduate student attacker Jordan Basso had her best game as a Gator, notching three goals and dishing out four assists, while graduate student midfielder Jenny Markey tallied her first hat trick for UF.
Behind the explosive offensive effort, No. 5 Florida (10-2, 2-0 Big 12) crushed San Diego State (5-8, 0-2). The 21-9 win marked head coach Amanda O’Leary’s 250th victory at the helm of the Gators, adding another accolade to her storied career.
“These wins are really the girls’ wins,” O’Leary said post-match. “I’m just along for the ride, but I’m so proud of them.”
Alongside Monaco, Basso and Markey, seven other Gators had multi-point outings. Freshman attacker Clark Hamilton contributed a goal and three assists. Redshirt freshman attacker Frannie Hahn followed, adding a goal and two assists.
Freshman midfielder Gabby Greene, senior midfielder Josie Hahn and junior attacker Ava Tighe each scored two goals, while sophomore midfielder Gabbi Koury and junior midfielder Kaitlyn Davies added a goal and an assist apiece.
“We executed our game plan really well offensively,” O’Leary said. “We shared the ball around a lot, and we saw a lot of different scorers, which was great to see.”
Another area of dominance came in the draw circle, where UF won 19 controls to SDSU’s 14. Junior midfielder Cali Bishop and junior defender Jenny Woodings each tallied five draw controls.
Defensively, the Gators were solid, stifling SDSU’s attack, which could only muster 19 shots in the contest. UF completed all 12 of its clearing attempts and forced 10 Aztec turnovers. Junior defender Theresa Bragg anchored the back line and recorded a match-high three ground balls.
In net, redshirt junior goalkeeper Elyse Finnelle earned the win with three saves while allowing only three goals. In the second half, O’Leary inserted freshman goalkeeper Susan Radebaugh, who made three saves, but gave up six goals.
“Defensively, we did everything we needed to do,” O’Leary said. “Jenny [Woodings] was outstanding on the draw, and Susan [Radebaugh] made some really big saves.”
For the Aztecs, sophomore attacker Frankie Garcia was the lone standout, recording a hat trick. No other San Diego State player registered a multi-point outing. Junior goalkeeper Caitlyn Broughton allowed 14 goals, while her replacement, freshman Grace Moore, surrendered the remaining seven but made eight saves.
From the opening draw, it was all Florida — especially in the first quarter. The Gators erupted for 10 goals in the 15-minute frame, with eight different players finding the back of the net. Markey and Greene led the way with two goals each, while Monaco added a goal and four assists in the quarter alone.
The Hahn sisters opened the second quarter, as Frannie Hahn assisted her older sister Josie Hahn on a goal. From there, the Gator offense kept rolling, even with the now-running clock triggered by a 10-point lead. Both Basso and Markey completed their hat tricks, and Florida added six more goals to enter halftime up by 13.
The break didn’t slow down the Gators, who tacked on three more goals in the third quarter. Monaco finished her hat trick, and Radebaugh made three saves to keep San Diego State in check. The Aztecs outscored UF 5-2 in the final quarter, but the gap was insurmountable as Florida cruised to an 11-goal win.
The runaway victory also allowed Florida to feature 27 players in the game — something O’Leary called “really important” and “well deserved” for the hard-working players who don’t see the field as often.
Florida will hit the road to face Jacksonville on Wednesday at 4 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.
