The Gators Lacrosse team was every bit as good as Northwestern Saturday afternoon. But 2011 will not be the year of the first ALC Tournament Title for the Gators, as the young Gators succumbed to the Wildcats 10-9 in Nashville. The ALC conference title is the Wildcats' eighth straight. The Gators led 8-5 with 15 minutes to go in the match, but Northwestern then strung together five straight goals while controlling the draw (equivalent of the hockey faceoff) to take a 10-8 lead as the seconds ticked away. The Gators furiously tried to tie up the game and force overtime by pulling the goalie, but came up a goal short.
The Gators were led by sophomore Caroline Chersterman who tallied three goals in the loss. The Gators will now move on to the NCAA Tournament to try and make their first ever championship one of the national variety. I'd take that. The NCAA Lacrosse Tournament Selection Show will air live on NCAA.com at 7:30 pm Sunday night.
Go Gators!