Florida Soccer Opens Spring Season with a Pair of Wins
Sunday, February 20, 2011 | Soccer
The University of Florida soccer team opened its spring season Saturday with a pair of wins. The Gators took a 6-0 win over Mercer and defeated South Florida 3-2.
In the first match of the day at Florida's Lacrosse/Soccer Complex, the Gators faced Mercer, the same team UF met in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Championship (3-0 UF win). Freshman Maggie Rodgers put the Gators on top Saturday with a goal assisted by classmate Taylor Travis. Then Travis added an unassisted goal. Two Gators turned in Florida's next four goals. Junior Lindsay Thompson was assisted on UF's third and final goals by freshman Tatiana Perez. Junior All-American Tahnai Annis scored UF's fourth and fifth goals, with the first assisted by Perez and the second by Thompson.
| Florida Goal Scorers |
| Feb. 19 versus Mercer (UF 6, Mercer 0) |
| Maggie Rodgers (Tayor Travis) |
| Travis (unassisted) |
| Lindsay Thompson (Tatiana Perez) |
| Tahnai Annis (Perez) |
| Annis (Thompson) |
| Thompson (Perez) |
| Feb. 19 versus Mercer (UF 3, USF 2) |
| Lindsay Thompson (Erika Tymrak) |
| Caroline Triglia (unassisted) |
| Maggie Rodgers (unassisted) |
Florida and South Florida played in front of a large crowd at the James G. Pressly Stadium Saturday evening. Just under four minutes in, Thompson put the Gators on the board off a beautiful spin move at the penalty spot. With her back to the goal, Thompson received a pass from Erika Tymrak. She managed to turn her defender and create enough space to hit the ball left footed into the goal.
Freshman Caroline Triglia put the Gators up 2-0 in the first period when she took a left footed in-swinging free kick from the right side of the field at the start of the Florida attacking third. Thompson was the target who shielded her defender from the ball, but neither player was able to get a clear touch on the ball. Unsighted, the USF goal keeper did not see the ball until it was past her and in the back of the net.
Rodgers provided the final Gator goal of the day in the second period. She picked the ball up on the right side of the field at the beginning of the UF attacking third. She beat two defenders and then deftly lifted the ball over the goalkeeper to score from about 10 yards out.
The Bulls scored twice in the second period. Noelle Pineiro scored the first off an assist from Taylor Patterson. Kayla Bala, making her first appearance in a Bulls uniform after transferring from Florida for the spring semester, hit USF's final goal off a 25-yard blast.
The Gators return to action March 20 when they face the Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer in Ft. Lauderdale.
