As the rain came down Thursday evening in Boulder, Colorado, No. 1-seeded Florida made a statement in its historic first game in the inaugural Big 12 Conference Lacrosse Championship Tournament.
From the opening draw to the final seconds, the regular-season champion Gators were in total control. UF led No. 4-seeded UC Davis for 58 of the 60 minutes while putting on a dominant performance on all ends.
Leading the way for the Gators was junior attacker Gianna Monaco, who set career highs with six goals and eight points. She led a Florida attack that outshot UC Davis 38-12, while seven Gators had multi-point performances.
Florida (16-2) dominated UC Davis (6-10) in a 22-2 rout, clinching its spot in Saturday’s Conference Championship game. The win was the 13th straight for the Gators, who are ranked No. 4 in the nation. UF also scored more than 20 goals for the fifth time this season and the third time in the past four matches.
Behind Monaco, junior midfielder Kaitlyn Davies added three goals and an assist. Freshman midfielder Gabby Greene and sophomore midfielder Gabbi Koury each scored twice. Graduate student attacker Jordan Basso posted one goal and two assists, and redshirt freshman attacker Frannie Hahn added a goal and an assist.
Defensively, UF was sharp. The Gators won 19 of 26 draw controls, picked up 10 groundballs and converted 13 of 15 clearing attempts. Florida also forced nine turnovers by the Aggies.
In the net, redshirt junior Elyse Finnelle — the Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Season — earned her 10th win of the year, making five saves while allowing only two goals. She was replaced in the fourth quarter by graduate student Georgia Hoey and freshman Susan Radebaugh, who combined for one save. For UC Davis, senior goalkeeper Ally Richardson-Pepper stopped nine shots but surrendered 22 goals.
Florida hit the ground running in the first quarter, outscoring the Aggies 8-1. Monaco led the charge with two goals and an assist, while both Koury and Davies scored twice. Meanwhile, Finnelle stood tall in the goal, making two early saves to keep the Gators ahead.
Davies and Monaco both completed their hat tricks early in the second quarter. From there, the Gators continued to roll and ended the half up by 11 goals after Hahn — the Big 12 Freshman of the Year — scored a highlight-reel goal, firing a shot backward while facing away from the net as the clock struck zero.
With the 11-goal gap, Florida maintained control throughout the second half. The Gators outscored the Aggies 5-0 in the third quarter as Monaco added two more goals and an assist, while Finnelle shut down UC Davis. In the final 15 minutes, UF rotated its lineup but still tacked on four more goals to finish strong with a 20-goal win.
Florida will face the winner of Thursday night's matchup between No. 2 seed Colorado and No. 3 seed Arizona State on Saturday in the Big 12 Championship Game in Boulder, Colorado at 3 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.
