IRVING, Texas – Maggi Hall, the 2024 American Athletic Conference Attack Player of the Year, scored six goals with an assist to lead Florida to a 15-9 win against No. 4-seeded Maryland Thursday afternoon in a quarterfinal game in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship.
The win sends the Gators to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history and the first time since 2012. Florida will be the first team to represent the American Athletic Conference in the women’s lacrosse Final Four.
Florida (20-2), the 2024 American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions, extended its program-record winning streak to 20 games.
Florida, which defeated North Carolina in the first round of the tournament and topped Virginia in the second round, left little doubt about the outcome against Maryland Thursday (14-6). The Gators scored 32 seconds after the opening draw, held a 9-0 lead late in the first quarter and held at least a six-goal lead through the rest of the game.
Hall led the way with a game-high seven points as she tied The American’s single-season record with 114 points this season (60g, 54a), matching James Madison’s Isabella Peterson’s total from last year (91g, 23a). Danielle Pavinelli added two goals and two assists, while Emily Heller had two goals and one assist, along with four draw controls.
Florida goalie Elise Finnelle, The American’s Goalkeeper of the Year, made 10 saves and limited the Terrapins to nine goals on 36 shots.
Florida moves on to the national semifinals, which will be played May 24 in Cary, North Carolina. The Gators will face the winner of Thursday’s late quarterfinal matchup between No. 8-seeded Penn and No. 1-seeded Northwestern.
Florida’s previous Final Four appearance came in 2012, which was the third season of varsity lacrosse in Gainesville. The Gators were the No. 1 seed in the tournament that year after winning the American Lacrosse Conference title, but fell 14-13 to Syracuse in the semifinals.
2024 NCAA WOMEN’S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
American Athletic Conference pairings
First Round | Friday, May 10
College Park, Md.
James Madison 14, Penn State 13
Charlottesville, Va.
Florida 17, North Carolina 8
Second Round | Sunday, May 12
College Park, Md.
(4) Maryland 17, James Madison 7
Charlottesville, Va.
Florida 13, (5) Virginia 8
Quarterfinals | Thursday, May 16
College Park, Md.
Florida 15, (4) Maryland 9
Semifinals | Friday, May 24 | ESPNU
Cary, N.C.
Florida vs. (8) Penn or (1) Northwestern | 3 p.m.
(6) Yale/(3) Syracuse vs. Michigan/(2) Boston College | 5:30 p.m.
Final | Sunday, May 26 | ESPN
Cary, N.C.
Semifinal winners | Noon