Florida's Karina Gutsche & Christen Westphal named to Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Wee
Tuesday, October 29, 2013 | Soccer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After helping the Gators' to a pair of shutout wins last weekend, both of Florida's center back defenders - junior Karina Gutsche (Lithia, Fla.) and sophomore Christen Westphal (Brecksville, Ohio) are part of Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week. Westphal also appears on the CollegeSoccer360.com National Team of the Week.
| Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week – Oct. 29, 2013 | ||
| Karina Gutsche | Florida | D |
| Christen Westphal | Florida | D |
| Jade Seabrook | Navy | D |
| Annie Steinlage | Virginia | MF |
| Kaitlyn Kerr | Duke | MF |
| Morgan Andrews | Notre Dame | MF |
| Jessy Brown | Maryland-Baltimore County | MF |
| Carlie Couch | Furman | F |
| Jaycie Johnson | Nebraska | F |
| Tabby Tindell | Florida Gulf Coast | F |
| Tarah Hobbs | Minnesota | GK |
This is the second appearance for both on a TDS Team of the Week this season. Gutsche makes her second consecutive appearance and Westphal was also part of the Sept. 11 team of the week.
With shutout wins at Tennessee (3-0) and versus Texas A&M (2-0) last weekend, the Gators are now on a stretch of six consecutive shutouts. The pair helped limit the opponents to a combined total of eight shots on goal for the weekend. In Sunday's match versus Texas A&M, Westphal assisted on the Gators' second goal after bringing the ball from the Gator defensive third to the Aggie defensive third. The pair has started every match in 2013 and top the team with their average minutes per match (Westphal – 89.17 mpm; Gutsche – 87.67 mpm).
The Gators head to Athens, Ga., to face Georgia (12-5-1, 5-4-1 SEC) for the regular season finale on Thursday, Oct. 31. Match time is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at the UGA Soccer Stadium/Turner Soccer Complex. Georgia has won three of its last four matches, including both on the road last weekend (2-1 at LSU and 1-0 at Arkansas). The Bulldogs currently stand tied for sixth in the SEC standings. A win by the Gators would give Florida at least a share of its 13th SEC title.
Streaming video of Thursday's match can be found on Georgia Dogs All-Access. ESPN 850 will carry the match while audio and stats are available on GatorZone.com.
