GAINESVILLE, Florida – The University of Florida soccer team lost 2-1 to Texas A&M Thursday evening in front of 1,057 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Thursday match opened Southeastern Conference action for the league, as the other 12 teams meet Friday.
The match was tough and physical – exactly what would be expected when the two teams that finished either first or second in the final league standings for the past three seasons met. A total of 27 fouls were committed Thursday, split almost evenly between the two teams (TAMU 14; UF 13).
Both of Texas A&M's goals came around the seven-minute mark of each half. The Aggies struck first in the seventh minute when Ashlynn Harryman sent long pass from the top of the Texas A&M defensive third. That ball landed just above the middle of Florida's 18-yard box. Emily Bates was just able to get a touch of her head on it to redirect it before Gator goalkeeper Valerie Tysinger could grab it. The ball lobbed in for Bates' third goal of the season.
The Aggies pushed the lead to 2-0 in the 52nd minute. Freshman Brittany Crabtree took a pair of shots one right after the other. The first was blocked and the second was deflected. Sophomore Stephanie Malherbe put the deflection in from eight yards.
Florida cut the lead to one in the 77th minute when Mayra Pelayo's pass found Savannah Jordan deep in the TAMU box. Jordan, TAMU's goalkeeper and a defender went up for the ball and it deflected off the scrum at the far post. Jordan spun on her defender and slipped it in near post with her left foot for her sixth goal of the season.
Worth Noting
· The Gators entered tonight's match with a 15 home-match win streak. This was Florida's first loss in Gainesville since a 2-1 overtime loss to South Carolina on Oct. 4, 2013.
· Two teams have met half of the 2014 NCAA College Cup field so far this season – Florida and Cal Poly. No other program has more than one meeting with a team among the 2014 NCAA College Cup field (Florida State, Stanford, Texas A&M, Virginia). Cal Poly lost 2-0 to 2014 NCAA runner-up Virginia (Aug. 28) and 1-0 at Stanford (Sept. 4). Florida won 3-2 versus defending NCAA champion Florida State (Aug. 30) and lost 2-1 versus Texas A&M (Sept. 10).
· Jordan's goal moves her into sole possession of No. 6 on the Gators All-Time Points Chart at 106 (47 goals, 12 assists).
· Today's win gives Texas A&M a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series.
Records:
Florida: 4-2-0, 0-1 SEC
Texas A&M: 6-1-0, 1-0 SEC
What the Gators Said:
Talk about the game and the goal in the seventh minute and how that impacted the team.
“I don't think we ever got on track execution wise. I was actually really impressed with us coming back from an effort stand point. Especially half way through the second half and I think sometimes when we can't control our execution, which is not always the case, we need to be able to control our effort.” - Florida head coach Becky Burleigh
What led to the problems with execution?
“I don't it was a lack of trying. I don't think we're trying to pass the ball to the other team at any point, but I think when that happens we have to find a solution, whether that's taking a deep breath or showing earlier for each other, play simpler. Right now I think our problem is when our execution goes bad we try to do too much and that's the exact opposite of what we need to be doing.” - Florida head coach Becky Burleigh
Talk about the effort during the game.
“I thought we had some great chances at the end, and credit to Texas A&M, we had some great balls across the box and they did a good job keeping the ball out of the net.” – Florida head coach Becky Burleigh
On what went wrong and what went right:
"Some days you can't help when your execution just isn't there, but what we pride ourselves on is if our execution isn't there, then we need the hard work. We like to play pretty and we like to win pretty, but winning any kind of way would be even better. In the first half, I would say they purely outworked us on all aspects everywhere, and our execution wasn't even there for us to even complete a pass. In the second half, we said if our execution doesn't get better, our hard work will. In the second half we definitely proved that you can come back, you can play well and you can compete with hard work over execution." - senior defender Christen Westphal
On her thoughts on the game:
"I think our team started a little bit slower. We should've came out a little bit more intense, and we were definitely on our heels just a little bit. I was really proud of how our team fought to the very end. We almost came back, and I'm really proud of how everyone put in the intensity and the work at the end." - junior forward Savannah Jordan
On how the goal at the start of the game affected UF:
"We were already kind of a little bit off execution-wise. I think our effort could've been just a little bit better in the beginning. We kind of sorted that out a little bit at halftime. I think the goal was a little bit fluky, but at the end of the day, I think we need to just be a little bit sharper in some areas." - junior forward Savannah Jordan
What are you most pleased with and least pleased with?
“I was most pleased with the response they had coming into the second half and battling back. After the second goal it would have been easy to fold up the tent and not do anything, but I think our team really responded. I think what we really need to evaluate is why we are struggling with execution. What is it that's lacking? Is it us just pressing? Us trying to do too much? What exactly is it?” – 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.
Florida – The Gators are picked to win the 2015 Southeastern Conference title.
Texas A&M – The Aggies are picked to finish second in the SEC in 2015.
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 10 on the September 8 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll and Texas A&M is No. 6.
Next up:
The Gators head to the River City Sunday to face Jacksonville. Match time is set for 2 p.m. at the Southern Oak Stadium and admission is free.
Sunday's match also will be streamed on WatchESPN and can be heard live on ESPN Gainesville 850AM/95.3FM or GatorZone.com.
No. 10 Florida (4-2-0, 0-1 SEC) vs No. 6 Texas A&M (6-1, 1-0 SEC)
Stadium: Donald R. Dizney Stadium (1,057)
Weather: 85 degrees, clear, winds 8 MPH SW, 78 % humidity
| Goals by Period | 1 | 2 | | Total |
| Texas A&M | 1 | 1 | | 2 |
| Florida | 0 | 1 | | 1 |
Scoring Summary:
| No. | Time | Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | |
| 1. | 6:52 | TAMU | Emily Bates | Ashlynn Harryman | |
| 2.. | 51:49 | TAMU | Stephanie Malherbe | Brittany Crabtree | |
| 3. | 76:47 | UF | Savannah Jordan | Mayra Pelayo | |
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Shots: Florida 7, TAMU 11
Saves: Florida 4 (Valerie Tysinger 3; Team 1); TAMU 4 (Taylor Saucier 4)
Yellow card: Ally Watt/TAMU (87:17)
