Florida lacrosse has faced a gauntlet in non-conference play to kick off its 2026 season.
After four ranked games in which UF went 2-2, the Gators had one more tune-up game before their monumental clash against No. 1 North Carolina in Chapel Hill Tuesday.
And the Gators delivered. Against Kennesaw State, six different UF players posted multi-goal games, with four players delivering hat-trick performances.
Behind its 17-goal first half, No. 7 Florida (6-2) mauled the Owls (5-4) 22-7 on the Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium. With the win, UF improved to a perfect 5-0 against KSU.
As she has all season long, sophomore attacker Clark Hamilton led the Gator offense in style. She scored a game-best four goals, with two tallies in both the first and second quarters. That improved her season total to 31 goals in just eight contests.
Behind her, redshirt sophomore attacker Frannie Hahn and senior attacker Ava Tighe both completed their hat-tricks early in the second quarter. They were joined in the hat-trick club by sophomore midfielder Ryann Frechette, who completed her first collegiate triple in the fourth quarter.
Two other Gators, freshman attacker Autumn Blair and sophomore midfielder Gabby Greene, added two tallies apiece, while freshman midfielder Caroline Hoskins chipped in with a goal and an assist.
Florida also saw dramatic improvements in two key areas: draw controls and groundballs.
The Gators doubled up the Owls in the draw circle, commanding 20 draws to KSU’s 10. At the forefront of the draw success was senior midfielder Jenny Woodings, who snatched six controls in the circle.
UF was also effective in gaining possession and maintaining play through its groundball pickups. The Gators claimed 15 groundballs to the Owls’ six.
Another highlight for Florida came in between the pipes, as freshman goaltender Maya Soskin was ultra-effective in net. She made three saves and only allowed two goals, both free-position chances, in the first half.
The Gators now will travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to face the reigning national champion Tar Heels. Last season, UF faced UNC twice, falling both in Gainesville and in the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
Contact Max Bernstein at mbernstein@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @maxbernstein23.
Max is a junior sports journalism student in his seventh semester at The Alligator. He serves as The Alligator's assistant sports editor and football beat coordinator. He previously served as The Alligator's sports editor and as a reporter for football, women's tennis, volleyball, lacrosse and sports enterprise. He also has made multiple appearances on the Paul Finebaum Show. Max wants to shoutout his cats, Scooter and Zoe, and niche former Florida Panthers players (shoutout Maxim Mamin).
