After losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Gators didn’t have to say goodbye.
When fifth-seeded Duke (15-4, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) stormed the field and claimed its sixth Final Four appearance with a 13-9 win Saturday, not one of Florida’s players on the sideline lost their place next season.
For Gators coach Amanda O’Leary, it was just another example of what made fourth-seeded Florida unique this season in a sport where there are historically few surprises.
“Yes, they’re very talented, but their work ethic and their team chemistry are things as a coach, you don’t have control over. They either have it or they don’t,” O’Leary said. “This team has it and it’s such a pleasure. I have the best job in the world.”
Over the last 20 years, the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament has been filled with the same, usual suspects, including the Blue Devils who have made 14 consecutive trips to the postseason.
In fact, since 1991 only four different teams have won an NCAA title, with Maryland and Northwestern splitting 13 championships. Both teams are still alive to capture another one in this year’s tournament along with North Carolina and the Blue Devils.
“Duke is the who’s who of women’s lacrosse,” O’Leary said. “You look at their roster. They have Sarah Bullard who plays on the U.S. team, Emma Hamm and Kat Thomas. They are all top players in the country…They are a phenomenal team.”
Before the season started, the Gators (16-4, 5-0 American Lacrosse Conference) were barely a blip on the national radar compared to those vaunted programs. Florida was picked in a preseason poll to finish fourth in the ALC and only had one player named to the all-conference team.
Yet, with a perfect home and conference record highlighted by a win over the No. 2 Wildcats, the Gators became the second team in NCAA history to make the postseason in their second year in existence.
“To be in the second year of your program and to be in the tournament and win the first round, be in the second round and give a team…who’s been around longer at this point, the kind of game they gave us. They deserve all of the credit for that,” Duke coach Kerstin Kimel said.
Using an attractive brand of lacrosse that demanded speed and athleticism from all 12 of its players on the field, Florida regularly outpaced its opponents in Gainesville’s 90 degree heat, forcing them into methodical possessions and even stalls to catch their breath.
By the end of the season, the Gators were faster, younger and tanner than any of the 18 teams they had played.
But still, youthful exuberance wasn’t a replacement for experience down the stretch, as Florida found out in late season losses to senior-laden Cornell, Northwestern and Duke squads.
“Looking back on the entire season, we really made history,” Kitty Cullen said. “Once we’re older and more mature, we’ve had so much experience this year, we’re going to be a huge threat in years to come.”
By next season, the Gators will have at least 15 juniors on their roster, along with a senior in midfielder Caroline Cochran, who have all had experience as starters.
While this might seem like a wealth of depth for a team that is already 27 players strong, O’Leary has seven additional players committed for 2012, including three in the ESPN Rise top 25.
“I expect next year, they don’t like to lose this team, so they will carry this through the summer and through the fall, and hopefully, next spring we’ll be able to come out and compete against teams like this day in and day out,” O’Leary said.
Junior attacker Kitty Cullen returns to the Florida lineup after missing the last two games while recovering from a concussion
