Gators Use Second-Half Barrage to Advance to Sweet 16
Saturday, November 21, 2015 | Soccer
By TARYN BRAY
GatorZone.com Writing Intern
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- In front of a full Dizney Stadium on a brisk Friday night, a barrage of goals in the second half led the Gators smoothly into the next round of the postseason.
The Gators controlled the tempo for most of the match as they dominated possession for what seemed like the entire 90 minutes.
“From a possession standpoint it was exactly what we wanted to do,” Florida head coach Becky Burleigh said. “We kept the ball a lot and made things very difficult for William & Mary.”
The first half was relatively quiet for both sides offensively, although the Gators led in the shot category with 12, one finding the net.
The second half was a different story as Florida cruised to a 5-2 victory to keep its season alive.
With under five minutes remaining in the half Dougherty Howard settled a ball from freshman midfielder Briana Solis just outside the 18-yard box and notched a goal from 20 yards out.
Just over 13 minutes into the second half, the Gators scored a pair of goals from junior forward Savannah Jordan and freshman midfielder Sarah Troccoli, both assisting one another on each of their goals as well.
“My teammates basically give me all my goals, so it's always great to reward them and help get goals any way we can,” said Jordan.
The next Florida score came 10 minutes later when Jordan dribbled the ball down the field, beat her defenders, and faced a one-on-one with the goalkeeper and – you guessed it – Jordan easily won that battle, scoring her second goal of the game.
Jordan's pair of goals and assist made her only the fifth Gator in program history with a five-point game in an NCAA Tournament match.
Clearly something at halftime clicked.
“We came out in the second half knowing that we would find combination plays and wanting to be patient in the top of their box,” Jordan said, “At halftime we talked about just playing our game, keeping our composure and finding each other's feet.”
They certainly did that.
There was a clear difference in intensity and playing level between the first and second halves for both teams.
“They stepped up a bit more in the second half and our defending was not as tight and compact as it had been in the first half,” William and Mary head coach John Daly said. “When they scored that goal early in the second half, that was really the moment when the tides turned.”
Added William & Mary midfielder Nicole Baxter: “When a team scores two goals against you in less than five minutes, it's pretty demoralizing.”
The Gators' fifth and final goal came by some fancy footwork from junior midfielder Pamela Begic.
Florida's goal output marked the first time since 2004, against a No. 1 ranked UNC, that William & Mary has allowed five goals in a single game.
Those five goals were enough to propel the Gators into the NCAA Sweet 16, a place where admittedly, the Gators' superstar forward didn't think the team would be.
“I remember our first game we were scrimmaging, I kind of had a little panic attack in the beginning of the season,” Jordan said. “Coming in with that many freshmen in a whole new environment, new team, it was a little bit of a different feel.
“At the beginning of the season I had no idea that we would go this far. We've come a long way and we've come together as a team and I'm really proud of how far we've come.”
Although the outcome of the season has been a bit of a surprise to some of the players, the Gators have no plans of stopping now.
They face Duke on Sunday to keep on playing.
