Lauren Silver Back & Ready to Help Gator Soccer at SEC Tournament
Wednesday, November 5, 2014 | Soccer, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Florida -- On Oct. 16, Lauren Silver was in Kansas City representing Jamaica as a member of its national soccer team competing in the Confederation of North, Central and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) World Cup qualifying tournament. The Reggae Girlz (yes, that's their name) were set to take on Martinique that night, but a good portion of Silver's pre-game pump-up time was spent staring into her cell phone.
|
|
| Lauren Silver swapped her Orange & Blue to wear Jamaica's Green & Yellow for CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying play last month. |
“My Twitter feed,” she said.
A half a country away, Silver's other team, the Florida Gators, were locked in a tie at South Carolina. It wasn't until after her international match that Silver learned her collegiate sisters had fallen out of first place in the Southeastern Conference with a 3-2 loss.
Three days later, Silver again had her 4Gs working. From the airport in KC, her cell was dialed into UF's game at Kentucky. As the flight took off for Orlando, the app pulling in the radio broadcast faded out. It wasn't until she was back on the ground that Silver saw that score: Kentucky 2-0.
Yeah, it was tough being away from the Gators for a couple weeks and key games. The two losses the feisty and emotional senior outside back missed cost UF the conference's regular-season crown, as Texas A&M eked out the title by a half-game.
But neither Silver nor Florida coach Becky Burleigh have the slightest regret.
“Country over college,” Burleigh said. “Playing on a national team is an honor you just can't pass up.”
|
|
| 2014 SEC Soccer Tournament Seeds: |
| No. 1 – Texas A&M (15-2-2, 9-1-1 SEC) |
| No. 2 – Florida (14-4, 9-2 SEC) |
| No. 3 – Kentucky (13-5, 8-3 SEC) |
| No. 4 – Missouri (11-5-3, 6-4-1 SEC) |
| No. 5 – South Carolina (12-4-3, 5-3-3 SEC) |
| No. 6 – Auburn (11-5-3, 5-3-3 SEC) |
| No. 7 - Alabama (10-7-1, 5-4-2 SEC) |
| No. 8 – Georgia (10-6-2, 5-5-1 SEC) |
| No. 9 – Arkansas (8-6-6, 4-4-3 SEC) |
| No. 10 – Tennessee (10-9-1, 4-6-1 SEC) |
|
|
| Orange Beach Soccer Complex • Orange Beach, Ala. |
| Nov. 3 – Play-in (SEC Network) |
| Match 1 @ 4:30 p.m. (ET) –Tennessee 3, Alabama 2 |
| Match 2 @ 7 p.m. (ET) – Georgia 1, Arkansas 1 2OT (4-3 PK) |
| Nov. 5 – First Round (SEC Network) |
| Match 3 @ 1 p.m. (ET) – Florida vs Tennessee |
| Match 4 @ 3:30 p.m. (ET) – Kentucky vs Auburn |
| Match 5 @ 6:00 p.m. (ET) – Texas A&M vs Georgia |
| Match 6 @ 8:30 p.m. (ET) – Missouri vs South Carolina |
| Nov.7 – Semifinal (SEC Network) |
| Match 7 @ 4:30 p.m. (ET) –Winner M5 vs Winner M6 |
| Match 8 @ 7 p.m. (ET) – Winner M3 vs Winner M4 |
| Nov. 9 – Final (ESPNU) |
| Match 9 @ 3 p.m. (ET) – Winner M7 vs Winner M8 |
But Silver eventually returned wasted little time making an impact, recording an assist in her first game back (a 3-1 defeat of Tennessee on Senior Night) and a goal in her third one (a 6-1 defeat of Vanderbilt). Now, she's ready to continue making up for any lost time when the eighth-ranked Gators (14-4) take on Tennessee (10-9-1) in second-round play of the SEC Tournament Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Orange Beach, Alabama.
“I definitely feel we missed her when she was gone,” defender Claire Falkner said. “She has such a bold personality and it just felt like something was missing from the team.”
Her voice, for openers.
The 5-foot-2 defensive specialist -- to put it mildly -- excels at communication. And her words aren't always directed at her teammates.
There is something about that confident, in-your-face style that permeates through the rest of the squad.
“One person doesn't define a team, especially me,” Silver said. “But in those games [we lost], I was told communication was a big issue. Being able to direct, that's one of the things I really bring to this team. I think I could have helped. Would I have changed the scores? I don't know, but I do think everyone on the team is important.”
UF has its whole team now. The Gators also have a better sense of who they are, after playing more to their identity in the last three games of the season when they outscored their opponents by a combined 12-2.
“It's about everyone doing their role, rather than relying too much on individuals. That's not how we're built,” Burleigh said. “We rediscovered ourselves and remembered what makes us a great team.”
Silver was in the middle of that awakening, but had to do some remembering of her own.
The way the Jamaican team played differed from Florida's system. They were fundamentally solid and passed well, but weren't so willing to open the game up and utilize speed. She had to adjust.
And after spending weeks training with the Jamaicans in Orlando during the week, then playing games for UF on weekends, Silver's head was spinning.
Now everyone's happy she's spinning the ball for the Gators.
For the balance of the season.
“The back and forth and all the traveling was pretty exhausting at times and hard on my body,” Silver said. “But it was worth it. If I had the opportunity, I'd do it again.”
