COLUMBUS, Ohio – The University of Florida soccer team finished the opening weekend with a 1-0 overtime loss at Ohio State Sunday afternoon in front of a Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium crowd of 762.
The only goal of the match came off a Gator defensive turnover at the top of their defensive third. Lindsay Agnew played the ball forward to fellow junior Nicelle Prince, who finished from 10 yards.
In the opening half, the Gators had trouble connecting passes but seemed to adjust to speed of the playing surface late in the half. Florida had several chances in the final minutes of the half, including a 20-yard shot from freshman Briana Solis which was just wide of the post with four minutes remaining. Just a minute earlier, Christen Westphal's long free kick was headed by Savannah Jordan, but OSU goalkeeper Jillian McVicker got a hand on it to push it up and away from goal.
The match went to overtime after a scoreless second half. Goalkeeper Valerie Tysinger came up big in the final 10 seconds. Prince had a 1v1 effort as she move through the box but Tysinger made the stop before Prince could get a shot off.
The Gators had some good looks at the goal late in regulation. Freshman Melanie Monteagudo's cross into the box in the 80th minute was looking for Jordan. There was a fight for the ball and the deflection came out to Sarah Troccoli at the top of the box, but her shot was saved. The Gators were awarded a free kick in the 83rd minute and Monteagudo's header kicked off the cross bar.
Trouble vs. OSU Teams in Columbus
This was the first meeting between the two programs, although Florida has now lost twice in overtime at Owens Memorial Stadium.
Florida played 2009 NCAA First and Second Round action in Columbus, losing also by a 1-0 OT score to Oregon State in the second round.
Records:
Florida: 1-1-0, 0-0 SEC
Ohio State: 2-0-0, 0-0 AAC
What the Gators Said:
What will the team take from this loss?
“It is a really big teaching moment for us because there are a lot of things we can look at and know we can get better. I feel that you are going to learn a lot more from your losses than you do from your wins. If we take that attitude going into this, this could be a very positive thing for us.
“The goal is to learn. Learn from the things we didn't do so well and get back to the things we know we can do very well” – Florida head coach Becky Burleigh
About the performance of the younger players
“It is always tougher to play on a Sunday, especially if you've played a tough in-state rival on Friday night. That is part of the learning curve, especially for the younger players to get themselves ready mentally and physically on a short turnaround.
“I think we are going to have some really great things the freshmen will do and there will be some things they will learn from. How the freshmen are playing at the end of the year is going to really determine our ability to fill the potential of this team.” - Florida head coach Becky Burleigh
Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida was second in the 2014 Southeastern Conference final standings with a 9-2 record. Texas A&M won the league title with a 9-1-1 record. Ohio State was 11th in the 2014 Big Ten standings with its 3-7-3 league record.
Florida – The Gators are picked to win the 2015 Southeastern Conference title.
Ohio State – The Buckeyes are picked to finish ninth in the 2015 Big Ten standings. Penn State is the preseason pick to win the league.
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 8 on the preseason National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
Next up:
Florida continues season-opening road action this Thursday at Miami. The Hurricanes season-opener at College of Charleston was cancelled due to weather. Miami lost 1-0 to Texas Sunday in the final day of play at the Charleston Nike Classic.
Match time is set for 7 p.m. at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Florida. Admission is free.
Listen to Adam Shick's call of the match on ESPN Gainesville 850AM/95.3FM or via the GatorZone.com stream.
OSU (1-0-0, Big10 0-0-0) vs No. 8 Florida (1-0-0, SEC 0-0-0)
Stadium: Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium (762)
Weather: 80, Humidity 47% Sunny, Winds at 5 mph
| Goals by Period | 1 | 2 | OT | Total |
| Florida | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UCF | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Scoring Summary:
| No. | Time | Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | |
| 1. | 94:45 | OSU | Nicelle Prince | Lindsay Agnew | |
` `
Shots: Florida 6, OSU 9
Saves: Florida 2 (Valerie Tysinger 2); OSU (Jillian McVicker 3)
