Florida Gators

LEXINGTON, Kentucky – A goal in each half gave the University of Kentucky a 2-0 win over Florida Sunday afternoon in front of 1,172 at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex. It was the second consecutive loss for the Gators, as they fell 3-2 at South Carolina on Thursday.

The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead into halftime after winning the ball at the top of the Gators defensive third. A pass into the box to Michaela Dooley drew Florida goalkeeper Taylor Burke off her line, but Dooley sent a ball across the face of the goal to Zoe Swift who scored at the far post in the 33^rd minute.

The UK lead was pushed out to 2-0 early in the second half when Courtney Raetzman took a shot from the top of the box. Burke made a diving stop on the ball, but Stuart Pope was there to put in the deflection in the 50^th minute.

The Gators had difficulty putting the ball in dangerous positions Sunday, with most of their shots coming from the top of the box. One of the best chances came in the 83^rd minute when Tessa Andujar launched a ball into the box which pinged around before finally being cleared by the Wildcats.

2014 Records:

Florida: 11-4, 6-2 SEC

Kentucky: 10-5, 5-3 SEC

What Becky Burleigh Said:

Did Kentucky's physicality impact what the Gators wanted to do today?

“We knew that it was going to be part of the game plan for them. Again, if you play and move, that doesn't become an issue because they have to chase the ball. We held on to the ball a little too much.” – Florida head coach Becky Burleigh

What was your message to the team following the match?

“Everything we need to fix is within us. It isn't something we need to get from any place else. We just need to get back to our roots of trusting one another, playing one and two touch. When we play one and two touch, I think we are very difficult to defend. We've gotten away from that and maybe some individuals trying too hard. You can't fault that effort, but at the same time, that's not who we are as a team. We are a team that the sum of the parts is bigger than the whole.” – Florida head coach Becky Burleigh

Worth Noting
● Florida is now 19-4-2 all-time versus the Wildcats, including 6-3-1 in Lexington. This is the third time Florida has been shutout at UK (3-0 on Oct. 6, 2002 and 0-0 2OT on Oct. 8, 2006).

● For the third consecutive match, the Gators gave up the first goal. On Oct. 14, Mississippi State scored first in a 5-1 UF win and last Thursday, South Carolina led 2-0 in the first half in an eventual 3-2 USC win.

● This is the second time UF has been shutout this season, with the other coming in a 1-0 OT loss at then No. 4 Stanford on Sept. 12.

● Senior outside back Lauren Silver was not with the Gators for the second consecutive match, as she is with Jamaica for CONCACAF group play. She played the entirety of both matches so far, as Jamaica defeated Martinique 6-0 Thursday in Kansas City, Kansas, and lost 2-1 Saturday to Costa Rica in Chicago. Jamaica meets Mexico on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., in the final match of Group B play.

Preseason Conference Votes:

Florida shared the 2013 Southeastern Conference title with Texas A&M as each team posted 9-2 league records. Kentucky finished fifth in the SEC with a 7-4 record.

Florida – The Gators are picked to win the Southeastern Conference.

Kentucky – The Wildcats are picked to take fourth in the SEC.

2014 SEC Standings:

With three matches remaining, Texas A&M leads the SEC with 21 points off its 7-1 league record and Florida drops to second with 18 points.

Today's win puts Kentucky in a tie for fourth overall with Missouri with identical league records of 5-3 and 15 SEC points.

Rankings:

Florida is ranked No. 5 on the eighth National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.

Next up:

The Gators return home to play host to Tennessee on Friday, Oct. 24 for Senior Day. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the James G. Pressly Stadium and admission is free for all Gator regular-season home matches. The match also streams on SEC Network+.

Here's the promotions planned for Friday night:

·         Senior Night
Nine Gators will be honored in a pre-match ceremony

·         Florida Soccer Replica t-shirt jersey
The first 500 fans will receive a Florida Soccer replica t-shirt jersey

·         Strike Out Hunger  
Join the Florida Soccer team helping those in need! Bring a non-perishable food item to the game to be registered to win a Florida Soccer prize pack! Donated items benefit numerous banks and pantries around the community.

·         Sustainability Night
The Office of Sustainability will be on hand with the UF Sustainability hut to offer tips and ideas of how you can go green.

Tennessee is 7-8-1 this season after its 2-0 loss against Vanderbilt Sunday.

Listen to Corey Brooks's call of the match at GatorZone.com.

#5 Florida (11-4-0, 6-2-0 SEC) vs Kentucky (10-5-0, 5-3-0 SEC)

Stadium: Bell Soccer Complex (1,172)

Weather: 59 degrees, Mostly sunny, Winds NW 3mph

Scoring Summary

Shots: Florida 12, Kentucky 11

Saves: Florida 4 (Taylor Burke 4), Kentucky 4 (Taylor Braun 4)