Early in the morning matchup, Florida had seen a lot of its crosses on the ground for good reason, as it led 5-3 halfway through the first half.
But as sophomore attacker Aylssa Chung scored the fourth Navy goal on a bullet penalty shot, the rest of the match went downhill for the Gators.
Florida (3-2) fell to Navy (5-0) 14-11 Saturday morning at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, after a second-half collapse.
The Gators were shut out for the first 6 minutes and 50 seconds of play after the opening draw. As freshman Caroline Hoskins buried the tying point for Florida, the Gators picked up momentum and took the early step ahead.
They kept their speed and quality shots on the cage high to take a 4-2 lead heading into the second quarter.
After some defensive adjustments, the Mids dominated both fronts and stayed a few steps ahead for the remainder of the match. They ended the afternoon with 27 shots on goal, 12 turnovers and eight caused turnovers.
Senior midfielder Ava Yovino scored a hat trick in the first half and was matched by Florida’s own junior midfielder, Gabbi Koury, who recorded hers at the beginning of the third quarter.
The second quarter resumed play with a Navy goal just five minutes into play. The Mids dominated the second quarter as they scored four more.
The Gators could only respond with two goals as their opponents dominated the draw controls with an overwhelming advantage of 18-9 on the day.
Halfway through the second quarter, the Gators made a change in the net. Freshman Maya Soskin came in for graduate Paige Crowther, who let in four balls with only two saves.
The change was ineffective, as Navy outscored Florida 6-2 in the third quarter. Soskin allowed 10 goals on 11 saves, playing the remainder of the game.
With the final quarter coming to meet them, the Gators couldn’t advance. They let up the most goals in the second half all season long.
The Gators cut the deficit down with two quick goals by sophomore and senior midfielders Gabby Greene and Kaitlyn Davies early and had a glimpse of hope as they trailed 14-10.
Graduate midfielder Boo DeWitt scored her second goal of the game as she cut up in the goal circle to take the lane for an up close and personal attack, marking the last goal of the game 14-11.
Star sophomore attacker Clark Hamilton was mostly absent from Florida’s play. She had only two shots in the entire match; her season average is 4.5.
Navy avenged last season's one-point loss to Florida and continues its undefeated 2025-26 season.
Florida will resume play on March 7 against Mercer (1-3) at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium at 12 p.m.
Contact Ethan Feinberg at efeinberg@alligator.org. Follow him on X @thefeinline.
Ethan Feinberg is a senior sports journalism student and the Spring 2026 men’s tennis reporter. He has previously written stories and produced audio sessions for WRUF, covering high school football. Ethan enjoys watching and playing sports like football and basketball, working out, fishing, cooking, and having a good laugh with his friends and family. His favorite sports teams are the New England Patriots, Miami Heat, Florida Panthers, and the Miami Marlins. (Drake "Drake Maye" Maye is the GOAT.)
