The Gators made unexpected history on Saturday at Dizney Stadium.
No. 2 Florida defeated the defending national champion Northwestern 22-4.
The four goals marked the lowest-scoring output from the Wildcats in 10 years and the most lopsided loss ever suffered by Northwestern.
“I did not expect that to happen,” coach Amanda O’Leary said.
With Florida’s first-ever recruiting class playing its final regular season home game, emotions were high. But the Gators’ adrenaline turning into an 18-goal drubbing of the fourth-ranked Wildcats was a surprising twist.
“It’s just a testament to all of our seniors how we played on Saturday,” O’Leary said.
Senior Brittany Dashiell added after the game: “I keep on telling myself, ‘Did we really just win by 18 goals? This must be a dream.’”
The Gators’ performance earned them the No. 1 overall seed in the American Lacrosse Conference tournament that begins on May 2 in Baltimore.
“That was awesome,” senior defender Sam Farrell said. “We all came out with such fire determined on our last regular season home game on this field. We weren’t leaving with a loss.”
Although Saturday’s blowout surprised some, O’Leary said her team set a new standard.
“It would be really nice to see that performance each and every game,” O’Leary said. “I think now that we saw it, it is possible to expect it.”
Florida’s 13 seniors will be critical in sustaining that high level of play.
The seniors have combined to score 157 of the team’s 265 goals this season — 59 percent of the team’s offensive output.
“They’ve always been the backbone and the driving force for the success of our program,” O’Leary said, “and that’s one of our things that we’ve had with them.”
Heading into the ALC Tournament, Florida’s senior class boasts a 61-16 record. The victory against Northwestern finished off their career home slate at 41-4.
“We have built a successful tradition here at Florida when there was no tradition for women’s lacrosse,” O’Leary said. “That is one of their legacies.”
Senior attacker Kitty Cullen looks to score against UAlbany on Feb. 24 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Cullen scored two goals in her final game for the Gators.
