The Gators have an opportunity for a potential rematch against Colorado in the NCAA Boulder Regional. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: A Streak Ends, A Test Begins For Gators Lacrosse
Monday, May 4, 2026 | Lacrosse, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On a soggy field and under ominous skies, you knew what you were watching was unusual.
First, the Gators lacrosse team doesn't lose conference championship games – regardless of affiliation. When the Gators returned to the field after a three-hour weather delay on Saturday in the Big 12 Tournament championship game against Colorado, they did so with 11 consecutive conference tournament titles, dating back to a victory over Vanderbilt in 2014 for the American Lacrosse Conference Tournament crown.
Since then, Florida claimed every conference tournament championship it played in, whether as a member of the Big East, the American Athletic Conference or the Big 12.
But equally uncommon was how the game against the Buffs unfolded. The Gators entered ranked third in the country in goals per game (16.2), yet when freshman Caroline Hoskins scored with 3:24 remaining to trim Colorado's lead to two, it was only Florida's sixth goal.
The Gators would not score again, losing 8-6 and forced to watch Colorado celebrate the first conference tournament championship in program history with a small but boisterous group of supporters who made the trip to Dizney Stadium.
Florida's streak was over.
"I think it's important for us to stand there and watch that,'' Gators coach Amanda O'Leary said. "I mean, nobody wants to have that feeling. That's like the worst feeling in the world as an athlete, as a coach, is to watch someone else celebrate on your home field."
The UF lacrosse team huddles following Saturday's loss in the Big 12 Tournament championship game at Dizney Stadium. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
The Gators knew they would be tested against Colorado's defense and Elena Oh, the Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Year. The Buffs lead the country in scoring defense (6.4 goals allowed per game) and gave the Gators all they could handle in early April in a 9-7 UF victory.
In O'Leary's 17 seasons leading the program, the Gators have rarely had trouble scoring in double figures. A deeper look reveals the scope.
The loss Saturday marked only the 16th time in 341 games since the program launched in 2010 that Florida was held to six or fewer goals. The calculator says that's a minuscule 4.7 percent. Not surprisingly, the Gators are 3-13 in those games, have lost 10 in a row, and haven't won such a contest since a 5-3 win at North Carolina in 2013.
Afterward, O'Leary tipped her stick toward Colorado and its defensive performance.
"They came out, and they were the better team,'' she said. "From top to bottom."
Colorado earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. The Buffs used a high-zone defensive attack anchored by Jess Peluso to prevent open lanes in front of Oh and keep Florida's deep roster of scorers – 13 different Gators tossed in a goal in a 22-7 semifinal win over UC Davis – from taking high-quality shots.
Meanwhile, the Gators committed 17 turnovers, and of their 27 shots, only nine were on goal.
Colorado attacker Maddie Shoup, named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, scored four goals on eight shots on goal, including what proved to be the game-winner.
Shoup was quick to point to the defense in the postgame celebration.
"Jess Peluso is the best defender in the country, hands down," Shoup told CUBuffs.com. "No one can get by that girl. I'm really proud of our defense. Elena Oh had some amazing saves that kept us in this game."
The Gators, after watching Colorado's Rocky Mountain-high moment, took a look in the mirror before turning their attention to Sunday's NCAA Tournament Selection Show.
"I think we had some inopportune errors and some turnovers,'' O'Leary said. "I thought their goalie played fantastic. She was everywhere."
There is no time to sulk. The Gators, knowing they missed an opportunity to host, learned Sunday that a rematch with Colorado could be in store this weekend.
The Gators earned an NCAA Tournament at-large bid and are headed to the NCAA Boulder (Colo.) Regional, where they will face the University of Denver on Friday night (9 p.m. ET, ESPN+). Denver advanced by winning the Big East Tournament championship over Georgetown. The winner faces the Jacksonville-Colorado winner on Sunday.
O'Leary said the mission is clear for the Gators. They must learn from Saturday's loss and make the necessary adjustments to avoid a repeat. That will include extensive film study and self-reflection by the players and coaches.
"It's OK to lose if you learn from it. That's what we have to do,'' she said. "We've got to move forward. We need to learn from this. This is not just a goldfish moment where you just have to let it go. You have to learn from it, or it's bad."
And if the Gators get another shot at Colorado, they have to be better when they take their shots.
The Buffs made it difficult on them, but according to O'Leary, the Gators did little to help themselves.
"We really struggled,'' she said. "We're generating shots, we're not shooting well. That is something we need to work on. We've got to be better finishing. It needs to be an overhaul of what transpired out there.
"I know this team. They want to win. I think they will do that."
But equally uncommon was how the game against the Buffs unfolded. The Gators entered ranked third in the country in goals per game (16.2), yet when freshman Caroline Hoskins scored with 3:24 remaining to trim Colorado's lead to two, it was only Florida's sixth goal.
