TAMPA, FEB. 18, 2025 – The University of South Florida women's lacrosse team suffered their first loss of their inaugural season, 18-11, to the No. 5 ranked Florida Gators.
 
Despite the outcome, the Bulls demonstrated resilience and competitiveness throughout the game. Redshirt sophomore attacker Sofia Chepenik led the team with a season-high five goals.
 
Key Stats:
• The Bulls scored 11 goals and are now averaging 14.5 goals a game.
• Even with this loss, the Bulls have outscored their opponents by 19 goals (58-39) over the first four games.
• The Bulls finished 12 for 15 defensive on clears against the No. 2 scoring offense in the nation.
• The Bulls netted four of five free position shots for goals.
 
Notables:
• Both Ava Uphues' and Kaitlyn Tartaglione scored two goals on two shots.
• Sofia Chepenik led the team with a season-high five goals.
• True freshman Kali Cleary scored her first career goal.
• AAC Goalkeeper of the Week Paige Pagano made nine saves, facing a relentless Florida offense.
• The Bulls sold 4,323 tickets between lacrosse (1,112) and baseball (3,211) combined on Tuesday.
 
Up Next:
USF will face Towson at home in Corbett Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at 12:00 p.m., and the game will feature Bark at the Park, Youth Sports Day, and Postgame Autographs! Fans can watch the game live on ESPN+.
 
Tickets:
Tickets to watch USF women's lacrosse at Corbett Stadium may be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or clicking HERE.
 
Follow us:
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Women's Lacrosse news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
 
About USF Women's Lacrosse
The University of South Florida announced the addition of women's lacrosse to its now 21-sport varsity athletics department in November of 2021. Fast forward to Feb. 7, 2025, the program embarked on its inaugural season in a 19-6 win over KSU, setting the State of Florida's regular season attendance record (2,386 fans). The Bulls named eight-time conference coach of the year Mindy McCord to lead the program in May of 2022. McCord, who came to USF with 240 career wins, earned 21 regular season and conference tournament titles at Jacksonville University. She led the program to eight NCAA appearances after launching and leading the Dolphins' program over its first 13 years. She developed 13 All-Americans, 81 all-conference selections, and 13 conference Player of the Year honorees during that span, departing JU following to back Sweet Sixteen berths. USF runs a fast-paced, high-scoring offense influenced by the early 1990s Loyola Marymount men's basketball record-setting fast break, which ranked among the national leaders in shots, points per game, and scoring margin numerous seasons during McCord's tenure at JU.

– #GoBulls –