Fresh off the heels of two consecutive Final Four appearances, hope was high for No. 4 Florida to start its season on a high note.
UF quickly took a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter, and it looked like the Gators were going to extend their all-time record to 5-0 against No. 19 Michigan.
Although the home crowd at Donald R. Dizney Stadium yelled, “hold ‘em Gators,” they could not maintain the lead, and in a matter of two minutes, the Wolverines tied the game 3-3.
Up until the fourth quarter, the Gators were down, falling behind by 3 goals. But, early in the fourth quarter, sophomore attacker Clark Hamilton sank her third goal of the day to tie the game 10-10.
Ultimately, it was not enough for the Gators. A combination of saves, steals and draw controls by Michigan, as well as 13 committed turnovers by Florida, resulted in a 12-10 Wolverine victory.
The game was determined by Florida's inability to get the ball in the back of the net. Michigan goalkeeper Elizabeth Johnson denied six shots and recorded the game-sealing ground ball pickup late in the fourth quarter.
For the Gators, freshman Maya Soskin made her first career start but struggled to find her footing. She played the first 27 minutes of the contest, allowing six goals and making a save.
Sophomore Susan Radebaugh, who made limited appearances for UF in 2025, came into the contest but quickly surrendered three goals. Then, graduate student Paige Crowther was given a shot, and she impressed, saving five of eight shots in the second half.
“I thought Paige [Crowther] ended the game very well,” Florida head coach Amanda O’Leary said post-game.
The Wolverines also controlled the draw circle, recording 16 draw controls to Florida’s eight. Michigan’s Emma Burke had nine of those controls, securing crucial possessions for her team. Meanwhile, Florida only saw two players record at least two controls: junior Gabbi Koury and senior Jenny Woodings.
"That's a place we need to work on,” O’Leary said. “Every possession they had is eight more possessions than we had. So I think that puts you on your heels a little bit.”
Alongside Hamilton, three other Gators had multi-point performances. Senior Kaitlyn Davies scored two goals and added an assist, while redshirt sophomore Frannie Hahn recorded a goal and three assists.
Graduate student Boo DeWitt, a transfer from Dartmouth, looked impressive in her UF debut, scoring two goals on as many shots. She also had zero turnovers.
The Gators started five freshmen and four sophomores in the contest, and the adjustment was evident. Florida’s inexperienced roster will have another shot at its first win against Loyola Feb. 17
“I thought they played well, they own their spots,” O’Leary said. “But we need to age here really quickly, we need to go from being freshmen to seniors.”
Contact Coral Uzgiden at cuzgiden@alligator.org. Follow her on X @coraluzgiden.
Coral is a sophomore Sports Journalism student in her first semester with the Alligator covering Lacrosse. She also has experience writing for WRUF and covering beats such as high school football and Gators swim and dive. She is an intern for the Women of the Lowcountry and in her free time enjoys playing waterpolo, going to the gym and being outside.
