On Senior Day at Donald R. Dizney Stadium, Florida lacrosse finished off its first regular season in the Big 12 Conference in style.
After surrendering the opening goal on Saturday, the Gator offense exploded, scoring 10 unanswered goals. The highlight of the game came halfway through the second quarter, when redshirt freshman attacker Frannie Hahn fed graduate student attacker Jordan Basso, who fired a no-look shot over her left shoulder into the top corner of the net while facing away from the goal.
Basso was one of five Gators with multi-point performances as Florida topped 15 goals for the fifth straight match. One of those Gators, freshman Clark Hamilton, made UF lacrosse history by scoring four free-position goals. That put her among five other Gators who have recorded four goals from the 8-meter arc in a single matchup. She became the first to do so since April 2019.
The dominant effort propelled No. 4 Florida (15-2, 5-0 Big 12) to a 17-5 win over Arizona State (10-7, 3-2), its 12th straight victory. The win also clinched UF’s first Big 12 Regular Season Championship. Hahn led the way with two goals and four assists, while Hamilton added four goals and an assist. Basso and junior midfielder Kaitlyn Davies each tallied three goals and an assist. Junior attacker Gianna Monaco scored two goals.
Florida outshot Arizona State 35-22, but offense wasn’t the only area of dominance. UF led in nearly every statistical category, winning 16 groundballs to ASU’s 13. Florida forced seven of ASU’s 18 turnovers and completed all 19 of its clearing attempts.
In the net, redshirt junior Elyse Finnelle shined for UF by stopping 10 shots while allowing only four goals. She especially stood out in the third quarter, when she denied six shots to keep Florida in control. Her win improved her record to 9-0 on the season. Graduate student goalkeeper Georgia Hoey played the final minutes, surrendering one goal and making a save. Arizona State senior goalkeeper Katie Vahle made 11 stops but surrendered 17 goals before being replaced by freshman Regan Spichiger, who made one save.
Florida’s offense took time to kick into gear in the first quarter, allowing Arizona State to gain an early advantage. But Finnelle kept the Gators within striking distance with three big saves. Florida quickly gained momentum, capitalizing on ASU fouls to score three goals from the 8-meter arc. Hamilton and Davies both scored twice as UF capped off the frame with six unanswered goals.
The Gators continued their dominance in the second quarter, outscoring the Sun Devils 5-1 despite five saves by Vahle. Monaco scored early in the frame, netting her team-best 50th goal of the season. Basso scored her highlight-reel goal, and Hamilton converted another free-position chance later on in the quarter. UF carried a nine-goal lead into halftime.
Early in the second half, the Sun Devils capitalized on Florida fouls and quickly scored twice. The Gators responded with two goals of their own. Despite multiple yellow-card fouls, Finnelle made six saves to keep Florida firmly in the driver’s seat. With a nine-goal lead heading into the final frame, the Gators began to rotate their lineup but still outscored the Sun Devils 4-1 in the last 15 minutes.
Post-match, eight seniors were honored: Basso, Finnelle, Hoey, senior defender Brie Catts, senior midfielders Macy Zaban and Josie Hahn, senior defender Celeste Forte and graduate student midfielder Jenny Markey.
Florida will head to Boulder, Colorado, for the Big 12 Conference Tournament, which begins Thursday. The top-seeded Gators will face either UC Davis or Cincinnati at 6 p.m. ET.
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.
