Florida loses nail-biter to conference rival in quarterfinals

It was a season of breaking records and defying expectations.

Despite Floridas No. 5 rank in the national preseason polls, UF fans were still concerned with the team losing 13 players to graduation in 2013 and replacing them with 11 freshmen.

When Florida defeated Ohio State 10-9 on March 22 to improve to 10-2 to start the year, fans began to see the impact of the 11 new additions.

So when Florida lost in the 12-11 double-overtime game against Northwestern on Saturday, it was a hard pill to swallow for coach Amanda OLeary.

Im just really proud of our seniors, what they brought to the table, their leadership, their love, theyre caring and Im sad for them, OLeary said. They gave so much to this program over the course of this four years for Krista (Grabher) and five years for Cara (Canington).

Attacker Sammi Burgess, midfielder Mollie Stevens and defender Caroline Fitzgerald a trio of freshmen became vital players for OLeary alongside juniors Shannon Gilroy and Nora Barry.

Burgess was one of Floridas biggest recruits before the start of the season. The 5-foot-3 attacker never lost a game during her four years at the McDonogh School in Maryland and became known at Florida for being a vital scorer when Gilroy failed.

Stevens also came in as a top recruit but she spent her time in high school as an attacker. When Stevens arrived at Florida, OLeary immediately moved her to midfield in an attempt to give other midfielders, like Sam Darcangelo and Nora Barry, a chance to rest. Stevens completed the season with 38 points and a reputation for her ability to score on the fast break.

Fitzgerald became Floridas go-to player when it needed someone to guard the opponents best scorer. Fitzgerald covered star-offensive players like Syracuses Kayla Treanor and Northwesterns Alyssa Leonard. The Mount Sinai, N.Y., native finished the season with the most caused turnovers on defense (22) and 30 ground balls.

Although the freshmen were the Gators biggest and most unexpected story of the year, Gilroy also made a splash in the lacrosse community.

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Florida loses nail-biter to conference rival in quarterfinals