STONY BROOK, N.Y. — The Gators missed two big opportunities in the Final Four on Friday night. However, only one of them was evident during their game.
Top-seeded Florida squandered a golden opportunity when it let a 12-5 lead with less than 12 minutes remaining disappear in its semifinal game against Syracuse en route to a 14-13 sudden-death overtime loss.
There were several chances to put the game away, but the Gators struggled to get possession down the stretch. Goaltender Mikey Meagher turned the ball over in the second-to-last minute of regulation with Florida up by one goal.
But Florida not only botched its chance to play in the national championship game, they also missed out on the opportunity to do so against a team the players felt they were capable of beating: Northwestern, which defeated Syracuse 8-6 in the national title game.
Despite the disappointing end to the season, coach Amanda O’Leary emphasized the enormity of what the team had accomplished.
“I’m proud of my team and proud of our season as this is just the third year of the program,” she said.
On the last day of the regular season, UF captured its second consecutive American Lacrosse Conference regular season championship with an 8-7 win over the Wildcats in Evanston, Ill., snapping Northwestern’s 20-game home winning streak.
Then, in Gainesville, on May 5, the Gators handed the Wildcats their worst loss in more than nine years, a 14-7 blowout in the finals of the ALC Tournament.
While it is no easy task to beat a team three times in one season, some Florida players made it clear just how hard it was to watch Northwestern advance farther than they did.
“The fact that northwestern is going to the championship when we beat them TWICE this season just pisses me off, we should be playing them,” junior defender Sam Farrell said on her Twitter account (@goinSAM_) following the Wildcats’ semifinal win over the Terrapins.
Barring any transfers, the Gators are set to return every player from this year’s team except for senior attacker Caroline Cochran, who missed most of the season after suffering a torn left ACL on Feb. 15.
No other semifinalist team will be as lucky as each loses multiple starters to graduation.
The Wildcats will lose 2011 Tewaaraton Award winner and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player this year in Shannon Smith along with goalkeeper Brianne LoManto, who are both seniors.
Syracuse will graduate Sarah Holden. The senior attacker scored seven goals in two games against the Gators this season including the game-winner on Friday.
And Maryland loses its third and fourth leading scorers to graduation in Kristy Black and Kerri Ellen Johnson.
Thus, the Gators have another big opportunity next year.
“Getting here means everything,” Meagher said.
“I knew we were going places when I stepped onto campus in Gainesville. It’s terrible that we lost, but we are definitely going places.”
Mikey Meagher (5) defends a goal against Northwestern on May 5, 2012. Coach Amanda O'Leary pulled Meagher in the second half of Florida's loss to Penn State to give the Gators an extra defender.
