The Gators celebrate advancing to Saturday's Big 12 Tournament Championship after their win over UC Davis in Thursday's semifinal at Dizney Stadium. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
A Familiar Path, A Bigger Prize for Gators Lacrosse
Friday, May 1, 2026 | Lacrosse, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It was like stepping into a flashback scene for the Gators lacrosse team on Thursday.
Echoes of familiarity engulfed Dizney Stadium as No. 1-seed Florida faced No. 4 UC Davis in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. The odd dynamic was not lost on All-American senior defender Theresa Bragg.
"It's not common to play the same team twice in the same calendar week,'' she said.
No, it's not, unless you're playing in the NBA, NHL or MLB during a playoff series. The quirk pops up occasionally in the NFL, such as in 2013, when the Saints and Panthers, and the Chiefs and Broncos, played twice in a 15-day span.
Former NFL coach Brian Billick, working as an NFL.com analyst at the time, wrote of the challenges a we-just-played-you matchup poses.
"In any such follow-up game, you must be careful to avoid falling into a pattern that resembles a bad imitation of an Abbott & Costello routine, abandoning something that works for you because ... They know that we know that they know that we know that they know we're going to do that — so we will cross them up by doing something different."
The Gators avoided that trap Thursday, cruising past the Aggies 22-7 five days after beating them in the regular-season finale on the same field. They knew what they could do and what UC Davis couldn't against their man-to-man defense.
In retrospect, UF head coach Amanda O'Leary had nothing to worry about.
"We had a pretty deciding win on Saturday,'' Bragg said. "We wanted to replicate that."
Freshman Autumn Blair scored three goals on Thursday, one of 13 players to find the net for the Gators. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
The Gators responded like a locomotive against a car stuck on the tracks – forcing a running clock to be used in the second half with a 10-goal lead – to advance to the championship game on Saturday afternoon against Colorado.
O'Leary beamed like a proud parent afterward.
"I would say it was successful,'' O'Leary said. "We executed on all ends of the field. We executed in the draw circle. We executed on the defensive end. We executed on the offensive end. It was just a really great outing by the Florida Gators."
The echoes of familiarity resonate in a different tone for Saturday's matchup.
Florida beat No. 2-seed Colorado, a winner over Arizona State on Thursday, in early April at Dizney Stadium. For the Gators, it was the sixth win of their current 12-game winning streak. For the Buffs, they haven't lost since, winning six in a row.
While Colorado is playing in its first conference tournament championship since 2014 and has never won one, the Gators seek a 12th consecutive tournament championship, a streak that includes titles as a member of the American Lacrosse Conference, Big East, American Athletic Conference, and Big 12. Florida, in its first season in the Big 12 a season ago, claimed the conference tournament on the way to a second consecutive appearance in the national semifinals.
In the first meeting with Colorado, the Gators pulled away in the final quarter on a goal by Clark Hamilton with 2:27 remaining, winning 9-7 on the back of goaltender Susan Radebaugh, who made 12 saves in a nip-and-tuck contest. Radebaugh faced minimal heat Thursday against UC Davis, as 13 different Gators scored a goal in the runaway victory.
The new faces have contributed to familiar ambitions – winning the program's first national title.
"We set really high expectations for every single player on our team, but especially those freshmen," O'Leary said. "I think they came in and they exceeded all expectations. I just can't say enough about that class. They've certainly made their mark here at Florida thus far."
The Gators have made the postseason every season of O'Leary's 17-year tenure, other than 2020, when the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to COVID. Florida has been to the Final Four three times, including the past two seasons.
If the unusual rematch against UC Davis proved anything, it's that these Gators are prepared for whatever comes their way.
"This doesn't happen by chance. You win because you're prepared," O'Leary said. "This group, they prepare to the best of their ability. What people don't see, they don't really know. But for us who watch it every single day — the time, the effort, the blood, the sweat, the tears that go into this, I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity to coach these guys every day, and I couldn't imagine doing it with a better group."
The Gators passed the first test on their road of familiarity. Colorado awaits Saturday.
The reminders of what it is they are after will take on more vivid proportions the longer the Gators stay alive in the postseason.
O'Leary won't have to jog their memory. The Gators know of the possible prize.
"These guys are locked in. I never have to worry about that,'' she said. "They have a mission. They have a goal. Their goal is to win this thing."
