Florida Women's Lacrosse Will Look Considerably Different in 2024

Movement has been the name of the game in college athletics courtesy of conference realignment. But it was the name of the game for different reasons this summer at Florida, where two stars chose not to return to Gainesville and four transfers committed to becoming Gators.

The notable exits were goalie Sarah Reznick, who opted to pursue nursing — and a summer as a pro with Athletes Unlimited — after six years in Gainesville, and Emma LoPinto, Florida’s leading scorer, who transferred to Boston College. Meanwhile, the transfer portal brings in Albany’s Sarah Falk, UMass’ Hannah Heller, Princeton’s Maria Pasini and UConn’s Georgia Hoey.

It’s been a ride, but one that hasn’t been entirely surprising.

Gators head coach Amanda O’Leary knew 2023 would be the last for Reznick, who arrived in Florida as the top goalie in the high school class of 2017, according to Inside Lacrosse. Between a redshirt-freshman season and COVID-19, Reznick had already spent five years in college and was ready to turn the page.

“She had completed every course she could possibly take for nursing,” O’Leary said. “It was a natural thing for her. We knew she was going to leave. She gave her heart and soul to Florida lacrosse. I don’t think we could’ve asked for anything more than what she gave us.”

Still, O’Leary calls the loss “huge” for Florida. Reznick finished third nationally in save percentage in 2023, stopping 53.9 percent of the shots she faced, and was the American Athletic Conference’s Most Outstanding Player.

Florida has options — both homegrown and from the portal. Elyse Finnelle, a rising redshirt sophomore, backed up Reznick in 2023. Finnelle played in 10 games totaling more than 154 minutes last year, producing a 58.9-percent save percentage.

“She played very well when she was called upon,” O’Leary said. “She’s a tremendous goalie and probably could have started at a lot of other places — that’s how good she is. She has bided her time, and now she is ready to compete for the starting spot.”

“Compete” is the key word, as Hoey arrives from UConn, where she saw action in five games and about 82 minutes behind Landyn White.

“She’s very athletic, great around the crease and has quick hands and a solid mindset,” O’Leary said. “From talking with her, she’s a competitor, and that is one of those intangibles of being a goalie. You’ve got to be competitive and level-headed. I think she has all those attributes.”

O’Leary hopes the healthy competition brings out the best in both goalies.

There will also be plenty of competition for a critical role on the opposite end of the field. Offensively, the Gators lost another former top recruit (who panned out successfully, too) in LoPinto, who has two years of eligibility left. LoPinto, ranked the top attacker by Inside Lacrosse in 2021, led the Gators with 90 points and 62 goals last season but was looking for different academics. Boston College’s penchant for advancing to the NCAA title game didn’t hurt.

LoPinto’s knack for dodging, feeding, scoring and playing in a two-man offense isn’t easily replicated. O’Leary isn’t going to ask anyone to try.

“She has a unique skill set,” O’Leary said. “It’s not as much who is going to step into her spot, but we have a lot of players who will have the opportunity to get in there and make their statement. We’ll see a lot of competitiveness, and that competition in every position will make the team that much better.”

The void makes way for a pair of rookies to make an immediate impact in Delaney Radin, a high school All-American out of Long Beach (N.Y.) and Frannie Hahn from St. Paul’s (Md.). 

“They both play back at X and have a tremendous skill set,” O’Leary said. “They can feed, dodge and shoot.”

Giana Monaco (6 G, 4 A) and Ava Tighe (12 G, 2 A) are rising sophomores who could see more action. Maggi Hall (47 G, 26 A), Danielle Pavinelli (47 G, 21 A) and Emily Heller (39 G, 4 A) are also back. In short, O’Leary isn’t overly concerned.

“We have so many players ... I feel so comfortable,” O’Leary said. “Otherwise, I’d be panicking, but we have a really good group of players coming in or who are already here that we’ll be fine.”

O’Leary also isn’t panicking about the potential for increased pressure on Pavinelli, who led Florida with 73 goals and 99 points in 2022 and frequently drew doubles and top defenders in 2023 as a result.

“Danielle thrives with pressure,” O’Leary said. “She wants the ball in her stick and to make things happen. I never worry about her feeling too much pressure or having too much pressure. It’s her senior season. She’s ready to get out there.”

Falk is no stranger to pressure either. She broke Albany’s single-season record with 72 goals, scoring five to lead the Great Danes to their first America East championship since 2012. That was nothing compared to what happened five days later when Falk poured in seven second-half goals to help Albany rally from a 10-3 third-quarter deficit to a stunning 16-14 win over Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“She literally took over that game single-handedly, and that is a mindset, that is a competitive piece … she wasn’t going to let them lose,” O’Leary said. “I saw that, and she was going to do whatever it took. I watched how her teammates reacted. They were so excited. I can’t wait to get her on campus.”

Falk’s athleticism and ability to play both ends of the field fits right in with the type of midfield corps O’Leary likes to employ. Though Hannah Heller, twin sister of Emily Heller, was more defensive minded at UMass, O’Leary believes she’ll make an impact all over the field.

“We are hoping to move her into that two-way middie position and see what she and her sister can do together,” O’Leary said. “That’s going to be a fun thing to watch, those two together. They haven’t played together for a couple of years, and this is their last opportunity to play together, and I feel like they will make the most of it.”

While Falk and Hannah Heller will play both ends, Pasini will focus on defense. Though she sat much of 2022 with a lower-body injury, Pasini started 16 games the year before and tallied 17 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers.

“When she is ready to play, she is going to be good to go,” O’Leary said. “She’s super athletic, has great game IQ, can play in a zone or man to man. She is going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

Also a force: James Madison, Florida’s new conference rival. The Dukes snagged the AAC regular-season title Florida had owned since joining the league in 2019. But the Gators one-upped James Madison in a one-goal win in the tournament finals. O’Leary is already looking forward to round two.

“It becomes a chess match,” O’Leary said. “It helps us tremendously when we go into the tournament. I love the rivalry.”

And O’Leary is ready to see if the group she has for 2024 is up to the challenge.

“Each year, you’re dealt a different hand,” O’Leary said. “Seeing what we have out there — call me in two months, and I will tell you exactly how I feel — but I have an extreme amount of excitement, in particular, with the transfers and the freshmen.”