Photos by Kelly Price, Mississippi State Photographer
STARKVILLE, Mississippi – Two opening half goals gave the University of Florida soccer team a 2-1 win at Mississippi State Friday evening in front of a record MSU Soccer Field crowd of 1,327.
| Friday's SEC Results |
| No. 13 Florida 2, Mississippi State 1 |
| Vanderbilt 2, No. 8 South Carolina 1 OT |
| No. 21 Mississippi 2, No. 10 Auburn 0 |
| No. 22 Texas A&M 1, Kentucky 0 |
| Alabama 1, Georgia 0 2OT |
| LSU 1, Arkansas 0* |
| *played Thursday, Oct. 15 |
The win, along with other results around the Southeastern Conference Friday, moves Florida into a tie for first with South Carolina as each have 5-2-1 league records.
Florida scored first in the eighth minute when Christen Westphal brought the ball from the UF half to just above the Bulldog box. The through ball she sent into the box found Brooke Sharp, who caught the ball with her right-foot as she turned toward goal, scoring from seven yards.
The next Gator goal came in the 26th minute. Savannah Jordan had the ball deep in the MSU box, then touched to the top of the box for Meggie Dougherty Howard. The left-footed 16-yard shot from Dougherty Howard curved in at the far upper slot.
The Bulldogs' Kennadi Carbin scored with just three seconds remaining in regulation. The play started with a long throw-in from Ariana Holmes, which found Courtney Robicheaux at the corner of the box. She headed the ball forward, where Carbin finished from seven yards
Worth Noting:
· A pair of Gators added to their collegiate-best season totals on tonight's first goal. Sharp's goal was her ninth of the season, while the assist from Westphal was her eighth. Both of their 2015 totals more than double their previous season highs set in 2014 (Sharp – 4 goals; Westphal – 2 assists).
· Dougherty Howard scores her second goal of the season. That equals her collegiate season high goals total set as a freshman in 2013.
· With the win, Florida now is 100-26-10 (0.770) in SEC road action. This is the 21st season for the Gator soccer team.
What the Gators Said:
On today's match:
“I think in the first half we did a great job of playing to feet and moving off of it – especially in the midfield. I thought we dominated the midfield. In the second half, we seemed a step slow, but give credit to Mississippi State for putting more pressure on us. In the end, we probably left a few goals out there, but overall it was a good performance to come in here and win because this is a tough place to play.” – Florida head coach Becky Burleigh
What happened on your goal?
“Christen Westphal had the ball and I made a run to beat the defenders. She played a ball through and I just shot the ball.” – junior forward Brooke Sharp
What led up to your goal?
“We had the ball around their net, in front of the 18. Savannah (Jordan) was able to get a toe on it to get it out to me. I was able to settle it and saw that their keeper was coming off their line so I just tried to curl it into the left side of the goal.” – junior midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard
How do you think the Gators performed tonight?
“I thought we played really well. We passed the ball around a lot and played the way we normally play. So we did well.” – junior forward Brooke Sharp
Records:
Florida: 11-3-1, 5-2-1 SEC – currently tied for first in SEC standings
MSU: 4-8-3, 2-4-2 SEC – currently 11th in SEC standings
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 13 on the October 13 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
Next up:
Florida returns home to play host to its final two home matches of the regular season at two different venues.
The two teams that share the top spot in the current Southeastern Conference standings – Florida and No. 8 South Carolina – meet Thursday, Oct. 22. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the James G. Pressly Stadium. The first 500 fans at Pressly Stadium Thursday receive a free Gators Soccer knit scarf.
Thursday's match airs live on the SEC Network (Gainesville/Ocala Cox cable channel 68 or 1068). It also will be streamed on WatchESPN and can be heard on ESPN Gainesville 850AM/95.3FM or on GatorZone.com.
Then Arkansas comes to town to face the Gators on Sunday, Oct. 25. That match will be played at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium and starts at 6 p.m. It is Senior Day and the careers of the Gators' class of 2015 will be celebrated in a pre-match ceremony.
Sunday's match can be seen on SEC Network +, heard on ESPN Gainesville 850AM/95.3FM or on GatorZone.com.
No. 13 Florida (11-3-1, 5-2-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (4-8-3, 2-4-2 SEC)
Stadium: Mississippi State Soccer Field (1,327)
Weather: 70 degrees, clear skies, winds 2mph
| Goals by Period | 1 | 2 | Total | | |
| Florida | 2 | 0 | 2 | | |
| MSU | 0 | 1 | 1 | | |
Scoring Summary:
`
Shots: Florida 13; MSU 7
Saves: Florida 2 (Kaylan Marckese 0; Valerie Tysinger 2); MSU 4 (Courtney Tompkins, 4
Yellow cards: Ariana Holmes/MSU - yellow (36:23); Liz Slattery/UF - yellow (82:04); Carly Mauldin/MSU – yellow (85:59)
