No. 6 Gators Hosts South Florida for Non-Conference Midweek Game

Wednesday, April 8

3 p.m.

Florida Gators

South Florida

Autumn Blair Shooting the Ball Against Colorado

Autumn Blair shooting the ball in Florida's 9-7 win over Colorado (UAA Photo / Bella Rosa)

No. 6 Gators Hosts South Florida for Non-Conference Midweek Game

Tuesday, April 7, 2026 | Lacrosse

Opening draw is slated for 3 p.m. The game can be watched on ESPN+.

By: Noah Trala

GAINESVILLE, Fla – The No. 6/7 Florida Lacrosse team (9-2, 2-0 Big 12) welcomes South Florida (8-3, 3-0 American) to Donald R. Dizney Stadium on Wednesday for a non-conference midweek matchup at 3 p.m.

The Gators enter this game off a 9-7 win against No. 16 Colorado that extended their win streak to six games and moved them to 2-0 in the Big 12 in 2026. Florida was led by Gabbi Koury, who tallied four points (2 G/2 A), and Clark Hamilton (2 G) and Caroline Hoskins (1 G/1 A). who each registered two points. Sophomore goalkeeper Susan Radebaugh registered a career high 12 saves while posting a save percentage of .632

Scouting the Bulls
USF comes into this game off a double overtime win over Liberty on April 2. The Bulls were led by Sofia Chepenik with four points (2 G/2 A), and Maggie Newton who has three goals.

On offensive, USF is led by Sofia Chepenik and Maggie Newton. Chepenik leads the Bulls in points (40), goals (30), and shots (68), as Newton leads USF in assists (25). On defense, the Bulls are led by Maddie Morris and Ansley Knor. Morris leads the teams in caused turnovers with 12, and Knor is second with 9.

The Bulls have won four of their last five games, and they have averaged 12.5 games in those four wins. In USF's eight wins on the season, they haven't given up more than 10 goals in any of them, they have given up 10 goals three times.

USF is led by Mandy McCord, who is in her 2nd year at South Florida, and her 23rd coaching overall. Last season, she helped guide USF to a 13-5 record in their first year as a program

Drawing Up Success
During Florida's six game win streak, the Gators have seen increased success on the draw, having winning the draw control in five of the six games. This is a turnaround from the first five games of the season, where Florida only outdrew their opponent twice.

That Gators Defense
During this six game wins streak, the Gators have held three of the six opponents, Mercer, Dartmouth, and Colorado, to season low goal outputs. The Gators defense currently is 40th in the NCAA in scoring defense at 10.00 goals per game. The Gators defense has also held all but one of their 11 opponents to five goals or less in the second half.

Low Scoring Win
The nine goals the Gators scored in their win against Colorado is the lowest number of goals they have scored in a win since 2023, when they beat James Madison 9-8. The last two times the Gators scored nine of fewer goals, they have scored 13 goals in the following games and grabbed a win both times.

Key Notes

The Gators hold an all-time record of 50-5 against teams currently in the American Conference. This includes going 1-1 in 2025 with a win over USF and a loss to JMU, as well as going 31-1 in their six years as a member of the American Conference from 2019-2024.
Clark Hamilton is five goals way from becoming the 20^th 100 goal scorer in program history. Should she accomplish this feat against USF, she will become tied with Emma LoPinto for the fastest in program history to reach the 100 career goals mark, doing so in 25 games
Gabbi Koury is four points from setting a new career high in points, having set a new career high for goals in a season with her two against Colorado. Boo DeWitt is nine points from setting a new career high for points in a season.
This is the second matchup between Florida and USF, with the first one coming last season, in USF first season as a program. The Gators grabbed an 18-11 win at USF.

Streaks (Five or More):