Looking to make its second consecutive Final Four, Florida lacrosse had its hands full Thursday at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium in Gainesville. Despite grabbing an early lead against No. 15 Duke, the Blue Devils fought back, leading to a nailbiting finish.
However, a strong defensive effort and timely scoring proved essential for the Gators. Leading the way, Florida junior attacker Gianna Monaco scored twice on Thursday. She now has 73 goals and 20 assists this season.
Ultimately, the No. 4-seeded Florida Gators (20-2) came out on top against the Duke Blue Devils (14-6) 11-9 in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals Thursday evening. With the win, the Gators book their third Final Four appearance. Florida made the semifinals in 2012 and 2024.
Florida scored five times in the first quarter, giving them an early lead over Duke. UF redshirt freshman attacker Frannie Hahn, the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, scored first. Hahn scored again and later assisted her sister, senior midfielder Josie Hahn.
Sophomore midfielder Gabbi Koury and Josie Hahn both scored twice. UF freshman attacker Clark Hamilton also scored twice, marking 54 goals this season.
The Blue Devils trailed by seven at the end of the first half and quickly worked to close the gap in the third and fourth quarters.
Duke graduate student attacker Callie Hem and senior attacker Carly Bernstein both scored twice in the second half of the game. The Blue Devils scored three goals in the third quarter and four goals in the fourth quarter, with many occurring as a result of fouls.
Despite the heroic efforts, Duke’s comeback fell short in the end. The Blue Devils failed to get past Florida’s defense and redshirt junior goalkeeper Elyse Finnelle. Finnelle, who was named the Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year, made nine saves Thursday.
This is the second time Florida has faced Duke in program history. The two teams previously met in 2011, with Florida losing in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals.
The Gators head to their second straight Final Four, where they will play the winner of the matchup between No. 1-seeded North Carolina and Princeton. UF will play in the semifinals at Gillette Stadium in Boston on May 23rd, with first draw set for 3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.
Contact Nicole Lopez at nlopez@alligator.org. Follow her on X @lopeznicole715.
