UF soccer team shifts mindset entering SEC play
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 | Soccer, Scott Carter
As far as final tune-ups for the Southeastern Conference schedule go, Gators women's soccer coach Becky Burleigh can't think of any better than her team's trip to the Duke Nike Classic last weekend.
“It was a terrific weekend for our team in terms of the level of competition – exactly what we wanted to get out of it going into the SEC,'' Burleigh said.
The fifth-ranked Gators (6-1-1) didn't win a match, tying Duke 1-1 on Friday and then losing 2-0 to two-time defending national champion North Carolina on Sunday.
The Gators, seeking a fifth consecutive SEC regular-season title, open SEC play on Friday at Kentucky. They play at Vanderbilt on Sunday. The Gators' last two games with Kentucky have gone into overtime, with junior forward Lindsay Thompson providing the golden goal each time for the Gators.
The reason Burleigh is optimistic entering SEC play after the Gators' winless trip to the Duke tournament is because she learned some things about her team that she expects to help the Gators as they enter the heart of their schedule.
“The lesson our team learned [against Duke] was that when we don't start out dictating to the opposition, then we get off to a bad start,'' she said. And against the formidable Tar Heels, Burleigh said “it was a real battle. What was most impressive to me with the result was our team was real disappointed with the loss.''
Burleigh isn't interested in moral victories and doesn't want her players to be either, especially with the SEC schedule cranking up.
“It's definitely a little bit of a shift in mindset at this point when we head into these games,'' Burleigh said. “We are trying to form our identity.''
Did you know?
Florida is 12-2-1 in SEC openers and 4-2 in SEC openers on the road.
