[Baltimore Sun] Southern High grad Elyse Finnelle anchoring Florida women’s lacrosse amid unexpected run to NCAA Final Four
Read Time:6 Minute, 23 Second
No team in the country is hotter than Florida women’s lacrosse.
The Gators enter the NCAA Final Four riding a 20-game winning streak, fresh off tournament upset wins at No. 5 seed Virginia and No. 4 Maryland, and a Southern High graduate is a key reason why they are in the national semifinals for only the second time in program history.
Goalie Elyse Finnelle ranks third nationally with a .540 save percentage and earlier this week was named to the All-America third team by Inside Lacrosse. The redshirt sophomore has recorded double-digit saves in seven of 11 starts and has performed at a particularly high level during the postseason.
Finnelle has amassed 30 saves in three playoff games, anchoring a suffocating defense that limited North Carolina, the Cavaliers and Terps to single-digit goals. The former Bulldogs star was superb as the Gators entered College Park and came away with a 15-9 quarterfinal win on May 16. She totaled 10 saves, including several spectacular ones as Maryland attempted to rally from an early hole.
Finnelle hopes to remain hot as Florida (20-2) faces top-seeded Northwestern (17-2) on Friday afternoon at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The Gators, the first unseeded squad to reach the Final Four since 2017, are seeking their first national title.
“It’s a really cool opportunity and something I’ve always dreamed of,” Finnelle said. “I grew up going to all these Final Four games during Memorial Day weekend, so it’s definitely a dream come true to be here and getting to actually play in one of these games.”
Finnelle only needs to stop one more shot to set the Florida record for most saves in a single NCAA Tournament. She will be facing the nation’s most potent offense as the Wildcats average 17 goals per game and are led by reigning Tewaaraton Award winner Izzy Scane.
Scane has scored 79 goals, while fellow attacker Madison Taylor has netted 75.
“I’ve just tried to focus on my job and doing my part to help the team win and keep the season going,” Finnelle said. “We’re all very excited to be playing on the sport’s biggest stage and our goal is to get two more wins. I think we’re all totally focused on making history for this program.”
This season did not start so well for Finnelle, who was in the cage for lopsided losses to Loyola Maryland (18-10) and North Carolina (19-10). The Gators opened with three straight road games against top-tier opponents, culminating in a trip to College Park.
Elyse Finnelle ranks third nationally with a .540 save percentage. (Florida Athletics/Courtesy)
It was a homecoming of sorts for Finnelle as the Maryland campus is located about 40 minutes from where she grew up. Parents Sean and Megan and several other family and friends were in attendance as Finnelle got pulled after giving up seven goals and making just two saves in less than 20 minutes of action.
Georgia Hooey took over between the pipes and played well over the final 40-plus minutes as Florida rallied to beat Maryland, 13-12, in overtime. That thrilling come-from-behind victory started the Gators’ current winning streak.
“I was very disappointed in myself that I let the team down in the beginning of the season,” Finnelle said. “I wasn’t really trusting myself the way I should.”
Hooey started the next nine games and Finnelle watched from the sidelines while working hard in practice to be ready when called upon. That call came on March 30 against Vanderbilt after Hooey got hurt. Finnelle has been a rock-solid backstop ever since and was named American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Year.
Assistant Regy Thorpe, who directs the Florida defense, had advised Finnelle that “nothing is permanent” and she would get another shot.
“I think that period of time was what I needed and was definitely a blessing in disguise,” Finnelle said of being the backup for a month. “God works in mysterious ways, but He knew that I needed some time to refocus. Coming back, I felt like I needed to prove something to my teammates and myself. I knew a second opportunity would eventually arise and I needed to capitalize on that.”
Related Articles
Ravens OC Todd Monken on AFC championship loss: ‘You can’t control the game if you can’t run the ball’
MLB says robot home plate umpires unlikely for 2025
Orioles place John Means on 15-day injured list with left forearm strain
With John Means’ status uncertain, Orioles’ pitching logjam might clear up in a hurry
Family ties, long-term connections key Glenelg boys lacrosse’s run to Class 2A state championship
Finnelle has been on fire when her team needed her most, amassing a career-high 14 saves as Florida knocked off North Carolina, 17-8, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She only needed to stop six shots as the Gators held Virginia to eight goals in the second round. It helps having an overpowering defense that includes sophomore Maria Bragg, a Severna Park High graduate.
“I give my defense all the credit. They’re in front of me and I have so much confidence in them to do their job. They do a great job of giving me the shots I want to see,” said Finnelle, who ranks eighth nationally in goals-against average (8.70) and was an honorable mention All-America selection by USA Lacrosse.
Finnelle started playing goalie in the sixth grade, joking that she initially did so to get out of the mile run the field players all did before practice. She quickly fell in love with the position and its importance to the team’s success.
“I really enjoyed the mental challenge that comes from playing goalie. I just love seeing shots and being able to prevent teams from scoring goals,” said Finnelle, who played for coach Arvak Marshall with the South County Youth Association and at Southern High.
Finnelle credits Marshall with helping her develop the hand-eye coordination necessary to be a successful goalie. Marshall’s son underwent therapy for vision problems and the coach learned a lot about how the brain works in tandem with the eyes. Juggling, card games and reading upside down were among the techniques he used to train Finnelle.
“I think it helped Elyse with tracking and reacting to a shot,” Marshall said.
Finnelle gained exposure by playing for the powerful M&D club program during summers and falls, catching the attention of Florida coach Amanda O’Leary as an eighth grader. O’Leary, the only coach in the 14-year history of Florida women’s lacrosse, was immediately impressed with FInnelle’s feistiness, work ethic and short-term memory.
“That was one of the things that drew us to her — she’s just so resilient,” O’Leary said. “If Elyse has a bad drill or a bad practice, she’ll just come back the next day more eager to prove herself worthy.”
O’Leary said Finnelle is a perfect fit for the netminding position because she possesses so much mental and physical toughness.
“Elyse is not a flashy goalie, but she’s going to stand in there and make saves because she’s got super-quick hands and great reaction time. I can’t say enough about how she’s anchored our defense.”
NCAA Tournament Final Four
No. 1 seed Northwestern vs. Florida
At Cary, North Carolina
Friday, 3 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0