ChompTalk.com

The Florida Gators are returning to the NCAA Tournament Final Four for the second straight year and third time in program history. Florida held on to beat Duke 11-9 in the quarterfinals Thursday afternoon at Dizney Stadium in front of 589 fans.

The Gators opened the game scoring early and often, racing out to a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Frannie Hahn, Clark Hamilton, and Gabbi Koury. Koury’s goal came in transition off a beautiful pass from Jordan Basso. Following Duke’s first goal, the Gators regained momentum as Koury found the back of the net again with just under four minutes remaining in the first period. By the end of the first, Florida commanded a 5-1 lead.

The Gators added to their lead in the second. Hamilton scored her second less than five minutes into the quarter while Josie Hahn added one just past the midpoint of the period to make it 7-1. The Blue Devils got one back, but Florida, once again, responded with two more before the halftime intermission.

The third period saw momentum swing wildly towards Duke. Florida opened the half with a pair of goals that made it 11-2 with 9:30 left in the third period. It appeared the game was all but over.

Duke wasn’t done though. The Blue Devils took over the faceoff circle from that point winning each draw control until midway through the fourth. With 4:10 remaining in the period, Duke scored to cut the deficit to 11-3. The Blue Devils added two more in less than three minutes to carry all the momentum into the final quarter.

Entering the final frame, Florida owned a 11-5 lead. That changed rather quickly as the Blue Devils got on the board within a minute. A couple more draw controls went in favor of Duke and suddenly, Florida’s lead was down to just two at 11-9. Duke had scored seven straight and kept the Gators scoreless for more than twenty minutes.

With just over three minutes remaining, the Gators managed to get off their first shot since the early stages of the third period. The shot was stopped and Duke quickly raced up the field with a chance to cut the deficit to just one. Celeste Forte stepped in front of the Duke attacker and drew a charge to give the Gators possession. Following a turnover, the Blue Devils had another opportunity with 54-seconds but Georgia Hoey made a big stop to the upper left side of the net that allowed Florida to run out the clock and advance to the Final Four.

Florida had five players record multiple goals: Gianna Monaco, Josie Hahn, Frannie Hahn, Clark Hamilton, Gabbi Koury. Jenny Markey added one for the Gators. Florida recovered nine ground balls while the Blue Devils snatched eleven.

In net, Elyse Finnelle made nine saves before giving way to Hoey in the fourth quarter.

What’s Next:

Florida will take on the winner of the North Carolina – Princeton matchup that is set to take place this evening. The Tar Heels are the nation’s No. 1 seed. The game will be played May 23rd at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA.