After struggling immensely in the first half, Gators lacrosse needed a spark. Florida was down 7-6, and was failing to gain momentum in any aspect of the game.
But the necessary spark for the Gators came, and it was Clark Hamilton. The sophomore came out of the break and took control of the game, scoring three goals in the second half.
She not only revived the Gators but set her own career milestone, becoming the 27th Gator to reach 100 career points. She ended the game with five goals.
“Shes the most humble kid,” head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “She would credit her teammates with doing all the dirty work so she can do the finishing.”
Behind Hamilton’s efforts, the No. 7 Gators (4-2, 0-0) bounced back to secure a dominant 18-9 victory over No. 25 Penn Quakers (2-3, 1-0) at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
Part of the reason for Florida’s tough start was its competition in net. The Gators faced one of the best goalkeepers in the nation, Penn’s Orly Sedransk.
The freshman holds a .490 save percentage and a 9.99 goals-against average this season.
However, Sedransk wasn’t the only reason for Florida’s struggles.
"The first half was actually dreadful,” O’Leary said. “We were terrible in all aspects of the game. We were bad defensively, bad offensively and we weren’t great off the draw.”
But Coach O’Leary challenged the team at halftime to respond, and the Gators delivered.
Senior midfielder Kaitlyn Davies opened the scoring just seconds in as she dodged down the right alley and buried a shot past the Penn goalkeeper.
Florida maintained control of the match as the third quarter went on, and didn't stop there. The Gators put up 12 goals in that second half after only securing six in the first.
Along with Hamilton teammates Gabby Greene, Gabbi Koury and Frannie Hahn were major offensive contributors, scoring hat tricks on the game.
The Gators also shifted from man-to-man coverage to a zone defense, helping them fight Penn’s strong offense.
In the cage, freshman goalkeeper Maya Soskin clinched six saves.
“I think today we saw the best version of her,” O’Leary said. “She came in loose and free and just played the way she plays.”
O’Leary said the team is still searching for consistency as they inch closer to conference play.
“We have our highs and then we have our lows,” she said. “I would just love to see some consistency.
Florida will travel to Georgia next to face Kennesaw State. The opening draw is set for 11 a.m.
Contact Sofia Alamo at salamo@alligator.org. Follow her on X @alamosofiaa.
Sofia Alamo is a Sports Journalism freshman at UF and the university’s Women’s Tennis beat reporter. Her favorite sports are soccer and tennis, and she aspires to be a sports broadcaster in the future.
