COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The only goal of the match gave the University of Florida soccer team a 1-0 win over Texas A&M Friday evening in front of an Ellis Field crowd of 2,955.
| Friday's SEC Results |
| No. 6 Florida 1, No. 9 Texas A&M 0 |
| LSU 2, Mississippi State 0 |
| Mississippi 2, Auburn 2 2OT |
| Arkansas 1, Vanderbilt 0 |
| No. 24 South Carolina 1, Alabama 1 |
| No. 20 Georgia 2, Tennessee 1 |
| Missouri 2, Kentucky 1 |
The goal came in the 84th minute. Tessa Andujar brought the ball from the touchline to just above the box. She fed the ball to Savannah Jordan who was making an angled run in the box. She took a right-footed shot that got past the goalkeeper and was headed to the far post. Aggie junior defender Karlie Mueller tried to stop the ball, but it clipped off her right foot into the goal.
It was originally called an own goal, but after reviewing the NCAA rule, the goal was awarded to Jordan. The NCAA rule states that a player whose shot is deflected in by defender shall receive credit for goal, provided momentum of shot carried ball in.
To get the shutout tonight, the Gators turned in some key defensive plays. Senior goalkeeper Taylor Burke made a stop on a shot from SEC goal leader Shea Groom on a 1v1 situation. Early in the second half, Burke tipped an Aggie shot out for a corner kick. On that corner kick, junior Claire Falknor headed out a TAMU shot from just inside the far post.
2014 Records:
Florida: 9-2, 4-0 SEC
Texas A&M: 9-2-1, 3-1-0 SEC
What the Becky Burleigh Said:
What did you think of the Gators performance tonight?
“It is just another experience to add to this team's repertoire. This was a really tough environment to play in. It was a good crowd and a great team we played against in A&M. I thought there was a few times early in the match they had us on the ropes but we managed to regain our composure and come through with a late goal.
“I thought they did well. There were a couple of times when we created our own problems with giveaways. Taylor [Burke] came up with some big saves and the defensive unit did well when they were numbers down. I thought they did a really good job. Especially without having Karina [Gutsche, who did not make trip after a concussion in Sunday's match] in this group. When we play 3-5-2, she's a big part of that so we had to adjust on the fly a little bit. I thought there were two saves that were really good. The one on Shea Grooms that was basically a 1v1 and the reaction save she pushed over the bar. Those were big-time saves.”
Was the change in formation due to what the Aggies were playing?
“We expected A&M to come out in a 4-3-3, which they played all year and they didn't. When they showed 4-4-2, we went to 3-5-2 and that happened probably 15 minutes into the game. I do think in the second half we looked better. We sustained possession better and I think that was the big key of the game. Once we sustained possession, the other team has to chase and once they have to chase that is very difficult. It wears them down physically and I thought that was a big part of the game.”
Worth Noting
Florida is now 3-1 versus NSCAA top-25 teams this season. The Gators own wins versus then No. 2 Florida State (Sept. 5), No. 9 Texas A&M (1-0) and then No. 22 Georgia (Sept. 26). Then No. 4 Stanford defeated Florida 1-0 OT on Sept. 12.
The shutout tonight was Florida's fifth this season. It also is the 26th solo shutout for Burke, putting her one behind the school record of 27 set by Katie Fraine who played for the Gators from 2007-10.
Burke equaled her collegiate match high of eight saves Friday. That record was set in her sophomore season in Florida's 2-1 win at then No. 5 Texas A&M.
Florida's goal and assist leaders connected on the Gators' score tonight. Jordan's goal pushed her team-leading total to eight and Andujar posted her sixth assist.
Tonight's result evens the all-time series between the two teams at 5-5. The Gators are now 3-1 in College Station.
Texas A&M now owns a 199-30-5 (.861) all-time record at Ellis Field (formerly Aggie Soccer Stadium). Since 2005, the Aggies have registered a 99-14-5 (.860) mark on the friendly pitch.
Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida shared the 2013 Southeastern Conference title with Texas A&M as each team posted 9-2 league records.
Florida – The Gators are picked to win the Southeastern Conference.
Texas A&M – The Aggies are picked to take second in the SEC.
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 6 and Texas A&M is No. 9 on the sixth National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
Next up:
The Gators meet another SEC unbeaten team in Arkansas on Sunday, Oct. 5. Match time is set for noon ET at the Razorback Field. That match airs on the SEC Network (Gainesville/Ocala Cox cable channel 68 or 1068). Live stream can be viewed online at SEC Network.
The opening three Southeastern Conference matches for the Razorbacks went to double overtime. Arkansas owns a 2-0-2 league record, registering a 2-1 2OT win versus Kentucky to open SEC play and tying Mississippi (1-1 2OT) and LSU (3-3 2OT) on the road last weekend. The Razorbacks posted a 1-0 win over Vanderbilt on Friday.
Listen to Adam Schick's call of both matches at GatorZone.com.
No. 6 Florida (9-2-0, 4-0-0 SEC) vs No. 9 Texas A&M (9-2-1, 3-1-0 SEC)
Stadium: Ellis Field (2,955)
Weather: 75
| Goals by Period | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Florida | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Texas A&M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring Summary:
| No. | Time | Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Description |
| 1. | 83:08 | UF | Savannah Jordan (8) | Tessa Andujar | Shot from right corner of 6yd box going wide left, knocked in by defender |
Shots: Florida 11, Texas A&M 16
Saves: Florida 8 (TAYLOR BURKE 8) , Texas A&M 3 (RENEE MCDERMOTT 3)
