Gators Start NCAA Tournament With Matchup Against Denver

Friday, May 8

Boulder, Colo.

9 p.m.

Florida Gators

Denver

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Autumn Blair Making a Pass against Colorado

Gators Start NCAA Tournament With Matchup Against Denver

Thursday, May 7, 2026 | Lacrosse

Opening Draw is slated for 9 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. MDT. The game can be watched on ESPN+

By: Noah Trala

BOULDER, Colo. – The Florida Gators Lacrosse team (15-3, 5-0 Big 12) kick of their NCAA Tournament run when they take on the Denver Pioneers (15-3, 6-0 Big East) at 9 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. MDT at Prentup Field in Boulder, Colo on Friday, May 8th.

The Gators enter the NCAA tournament after falling the Colorado Buffaloes in the Big 12 tournament on May 2 in Gainesville. Florida was led by Bo DeWitt's three points (2 G/1 A) and Clark Hamilton's two goals. Goalkeeper Susan Radebaugh made nine saves in the loss.

Scouting the Pioneers
Denver enters the NCAA Tournament coming off winning the Big East Conference Tournament by beating Georgetown 12-4 in the championship game to extend their winning streak to four games.

On offense, Denver is led by Olivia Ripple, who leads the Pioneers in points (79), goals (66), and shots (127). Eva Thomsen-Marr is another leader on Denver's offense, leading the team in assists (29). In goal, Denver turns to Lexi Gwaku, who has made 122 saves on the year and has a save percentage of .524 in 960:12 minutes.

Denver is led by Head Coach Liza Kelly who is in her 25th year as a head coach, and her 20th year at Denver. During her time at Denver, Kelly has compiled a 281-90 record.

Of Denver's 15 wins on the season, only one of them has been by a margin of five goals or less, their 15-11 win over Towson on Feb. 19th.

Great Goalies Against Superb Shooters
The first-round matchup between Florida and Denver will see some of the best shooters face off against two great goalies. This matchup is the only one of the first round, where both teams are in the top 15 in the NCAA in both shot percentage and save percentage. Florida is 7th in shot percentage (.493) and 5th in save percentage (.514) and Denver is 14th in shot percentage (.465) and first in save percentage (.533).

Under The Lights
With a start time of 9 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. MDT, this will be second night game (start time after 5 p.m.) of the season for the Gators, with the first being the Gator's 24-8 win at Stetson. The Gators hold an all-time record of 53-10 in night games.

Freshmen Standouts
The freshman duo of Caroline Hoskins and Autumn Blair have been outstanding for the Gators this season. Hoskins (29 points) and Blair (26 points) are sixth and seventh on the team in points, and their 55 combined points is good for ninth all-time in program history in freshman duo points for a season.

Key Notes

The Gators are 31-2 all-time against teams that currently play in the Big East. After leaving the conference, the last time the Gator's played a team that is currently in the Big East was in 2019, when the Gators beat UConn 16-5.
The Gators hold an all-time record of 19-4 in the NCAA Tournament, this includes a 9-0 record in the First Round and going 2-0 against Denver in the NCAA Tournament.
The last time the Gators played a NCAA Tournament first round game away from Florida, was in 2024, where they beat UNC 17-8 in Charlottesville, Va. The Gators would go on to make the Final Four that season
After their two previous losses this season, the Gators bounced back, reeling off a three game and a 12-game win streak. The Gators haven't lost back-to-back games since the beginning of the 2024 season, where they fell to Loyola and UNC in February, after which they rattled of 20 straight wins.

Streaks (Five or More)