Halfway through the third quarter of Saturday’s match, Florida lacrosse found itself in an unfamiliar spot: it hadn’t led at any point in the first half. But that changed in the blink of an eye.
With the score tied at eight goals apiece, Colorado freshman goalkeeper Elana Oh swung a pass from her net, trying to spark a play for the Buffaloes. Her toss, however, was intercepted by UF graduate student attacker Jordan Basso, who sprinted toward the net and fired past Oh to give the Gators the lead.
From there, Florida never let its foot off the gas, scoring four more goals in the third quarter to cap off a seven-goal period. Basso finished with two scores and an assist.
The comeback propelled No. 4 Florida (12–2, 3–0 Big 12) to its ninth straight win in a 15-10 victory over Colorado (6–6, 2–1). Three Gators recorded hat tricks, including junior attacker Ava Tighe, whose three goals cemented the first of her career. UF junior attacker Gianna Monaco and sophomore midfielder Gabbi Kouri each notched three goals of their own as well.
Behind them, three other Gators had multi-point games. Redshirt freshman attacker Frannie Hahn posted three assists, while her sister, senior midfielder Josie Hahn, scored twice. Graduate student midfielder Jenny Markey also filled up the scoresheet with a team-high five points on two goals and three assists.
For Colorado, graduate student attacker Kendall Havill led all scorers with four goals, while junior midfielder Lily Assini chipped in two scores and two assists.
Defensively, the Gators converted 22 of 24 clearing attempts and collected 16 ground balls. Florida also forced 10 of Colorado’s 15 turnovers.
In goal, redshirt junior Elyse Finnelle earned the win for UF, tallying a season-best 11 saves while allowing 10 goals. On the other side, Colorado’s Oh also made the same number of saves but surrendered 15.
Colorado started fast, scoring the first two goals within the opening five minutes. Kouri netted both of UF’s goals in the period. Strong goaltending from Oh and Finnelle kept the scoring low, with Oh making four saves and Finnelle recording five in the opening quarter.
UF’s Markey opened the second quarter with two goals, while Tighe added two more, including one with 17 seconds left in the half. Colorado kept pace, scoring three of its own in the quarter, including two by Havill.
Florida took control in the third, outscoring Colorado 7-3 in the frame. The tying goal came as the Hahn sisters connected — Frannie assisting Josie. Basso followed with the go-ahead goal, and Monaco added the eventual game-winner midway through the quarter.
UF shut out Colorado in the fourth as Finnelle made three saves. Kouri and Basso each scored to secure Florida’s five-goal win.
Florida returns to Gainesville to face Stetson 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.
