Their second time around playing the Aggies, the Gators played a fast-paced game, much more versatile than their first draw with UC Davis.
The last time the two teams met was on Saturday at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. The Gators only scored two goals in the first quarter Saturday but scored nine goals and had a six-point lead in the same time frame Thursday.
No. 1 seed Florida (15-2, 5-0 Big 12) earned its spot in the Big 12 Tournament championship match with a definitive 22-7 win over No. 4 UC Davis (7-9, 2-3 Big 12) at Donald R. Dizney Stadium on Thursday evening.
It was clear the Gators' strategy entering the Big 12 Tournament semifinal was to score quickly and keep the defense tight, and that's just what they did.
In the second 15 minutes, UF scored four unanswered goals that pushed its lead to 13-3. From that point on, there was no catching up to the Gators.
Although the teams played each other five days prior, both looked different. Knowing what to expect from the Aggies’ defense, Florida entered the match aggressively, scoring quickly off turnovers and capitalizing on fast breaks.
UC Davis was more effective at getting the ball to the eight-meter arc, moving the offense around and scoring in the last seconds of the shot clock.
It quickly became a game of speed against patience.
The Gators started strong but plateaued toward the end of the match. Unfortunately for the Aggies, Florida had created enough of a gap to afford a few bad passes and missed opportunities.
In the third quarter, UF scored five goals to UC Davis’s two. The Gators also added four in the fourth while the Aggies mustered another pair.
What defined Florida’s victory and was a striking example of why they were the outright Big 12 champions and the No. 1 seed in this tournament was its offensive versatility. No two goals were the same, and there was not one superstar scorer in its offense.
The Gators had 13 goal scorers, and Big 12 Freshman of the Year Autumn Blair scored the first goal of the game. She also ended the night with a hat trick and one draw control.
Joining Blair with a hat trick were junior midfielder Gabbi Koury and freshman midfielder Caroline Hoskins. The pair combined for two assists and added a draw control and recovered ground ball.
Redshirt sophomore attacker Frannie Hahn recorded six points in the form of two goals and four assists. Joining her with two goals were graduates Ava Kristynik and Boo DeWitt, who also caused two turnovers.
UF’s other goal scorers included senior midfielders Kaitlyn Davies and Carly Wilson, sophomore attacker Clark Hamilton, redshirt freshman midfielder Sophia Cardella, freshman midfielders Molly Doran and Kennedy Richardson and freshman attacker Blythe Noyes.
The Aggies, on the other hand, did have an offensive superstar. Sophomore midfielder Audrey Carr secured a hat trick, while only four of her teammates assisted in putting points on the board.
In draw controls, turnovers and caused turnovers, the teams were closely matched. Florida had 18 draw controls to the Aggies 12, eight turnovers to their 10 and seven caused turnovers to UC Davis’ three.
One area where the Gators dominated was in shots attempted. UF had 34 shots to the Aggies 19, and for the first time this season, Florida did not commit a single releasable card infraction. UC Davis was given six green cards, providing the Gators with ample man-up opportunities.
Florida will face No. 2 Colorado (13-3, 4-1 Big 12) in the Big 12 Championship game Saturday at 4 p.m. at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
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.
