Florida Gators

Photo by Matt Ramirez

GAINESVILLE, Florida – The University of Florida soccer team used a four-goal second half to move past Mississippi for a 4-1 win Friday in front of a damp James G. Pressly Stadium crowd of 973.

The only goal of the opening half began with a throw-in at the top of Florida's defensive third. The ball bounced around at the top of the box as both teams tried to gain control. UM's Jennifer Miller played a square ball right to Addie Forbus and her shot scored at the far post in the 40^th minute.

A quick Gator goal at 45:29 to start the second half tied the match. Senior Christen Westphal looked to send a ball into the box to catch Savannah Jordan making a right-side run. The ball took a bounce and went in at the far post for Westphal's first goal since the 2013 season.

Florida took the lead when freshman Sarah Troccoli brought the ball down the middle of the box. She passed to Savannah Jordan, who was making a mirroring run on her right. Jordan touched the ball back to middle. Brooke Sharp put a foot on the ball that popped out of the scrum fighting for control, scoring the go-ahead goal at 77:13.

Westphal got an assist to go with her goal when junior Betsy Middleton headed in Westphal's corner kick at the far post in the 82^nd minute. It was Middleton's first goal of 2015.

The final goal started when Sharp spied Jordan making a run through the middle of the Rebels' half. Sharp sent the ball from the center circle, Jordan beat her marker to it and then just touched it in from seven yards before colliding with the UM goalkeeper. Jordan's goal in the 89^th minute was her eighth in eight matches.

Worth Noting:

·         Westphal's goal is the quickest by a Gator to start the second half since Gator Great Abby Wambach scored at 45:13 versus Tennessee on Sept. 11, 1998.

·         Westphal now has two goals in her Gator career. Her first started Florida's scoring in a 5-1 win at Georgia to close 2013 regular-season play.

·         Jordan's goal at 88:13 is the latest Gator goal in regulation of 2015. Jordan had the previous latest regulation goal of the season with her score at 84:16 at Miami.

·         Three Gators turned in a goal and an assist Friday – Westphal, Sharp and Jordan.

·         Sharp has scored four goals in 2015 - all coming in the last four matches.

·         Middleton's goal is her first of 2015 and fourth as a Gator.

·         Florida has scored four goals in a half three times in 2015 – at Miami (second half), at Jacksonville (first) and versus Mississippi (second)

Consecutive Matches with Four Goal Halves

This is Florida's second consecutive match with a four-goal half, as UF opened play Sunday at Jacksonville with a four-goal half. The last time Florida scored at least four goals in a half in back-to-back matches was 2003:

It is also the third time since 2003 the Gator have scored at least four goals in consecutive matches:

Records:

Florida: 6-2-0, 1-1 SEC

Mississippi: 5-2-2, 0-2 SEC

What the Gators Said:

What was said to the team at halftime?

“(Assistant coach) Alan (Kirkup) probably said it best (at halftime): just have a little patience and trust the process. The players came out with a really great response, scoring so early, and that was just them trusting each other, trusting that we could get this done and just showing some urgency.” - Florida head coach Becky Burleigh

Feeling about the team overall:

“I thought that, again, finding our rhythm was really important. In the first half, we didn't quite have that. You have to give some credit to Ole Miss for that; they were pressing us. Unlike the (Texas) A&M game, we found a way to solve that a little bit. That was really good to see. I think that was a big step forward for us.” - Florida head coach Becky Burleigh

On scoring four goals in a half for the third time this year:

“I think we have some offensive firepower. It's just a matter of putting it together. We've also had halves when we scored none. The good news is that we can be explosive and put balls in the back of the net. We just need to do that a little more consistently.” - Florida head coach Becky Burleigh

On her goal 29 seconds into the second half:

"We talked about it at half -- just attacking them, not sitting back and just attacking them. They gave me space, so I took it and took the girl one vs one. I was supposed to say I meant to do it, but I was chipping the ball to Savannah [Jordan] and she kind of faked it, so she gets the assist for that, but faked it and it went in. It's a goal. A goal's a goal, so I'll take it." - senior defender Christen Westphal

On how it feels scoring her first goal since 2013:

"I get the same feeling when someone else scores a goal. I think I get more excited when they do. It's cool. It's definitely good to contribute on the offensive end and not just the defensive end. It feels good." - senior defender Christen Westphal

On her header goal:

"The cool thing about my goal was I was in there, and I saw that Savannah [Jordan] and Liz Slattery were also in the box trying to score. Liz and Savannah are two of the best headers on the team, so essentially what I was trying to do was block people from them so that they could get a goal. By doing so, somehow I opened up, and it just came off my head and went into the goal. It was really thinking about the team that was what opened me up in order to get a goal." - junior midfielder Betsy Middleton

On how often the Gators work on set pieces in practice:

"I stay after and work on them just because we definitely want to be a threat on set pieces, not just scoring in the run of play, but also having the threat of scoring on a set piece. We definitely work on it a lot." - senior defender Christen Westphal

On her goal:

"The ball was out wide, and then she was crossing it and we all just got in to frame the ball and be ready for the ball. It ricocheted off someone, and I was just there right in the right spot and I just hit it in. I saw my opportunity and just hit it." - junior forward Brooke Sharp

On if Florida was worried heading into halftime down 1-0:

"No, we just went in the locker room and said, everyone just relax. It was just execution. We just flipped a switch in the second half, and we just kind of clicked." - junior forward Brooke Sharp

Preseason Conference Votes:

Florida was second in the 2014 Southeastern Conference final standings with a 9-2 record. Mississippi tied for 10th in 2014 SEC action with a 3-4-4 record.

Florida – The Gators are picked to win the 2015 Southeastern Conference title.

Mississippi – The Rebels are picked to finish 10th in the SEC in 2015.

Rankings:

Florida is ranked No. 12 on the September 15 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.

Next up:

Florida begins a three-match road stretch this Sunday at Florida International. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at the FIU Soccer Stadium.

A pair of Southeastern Conference matches are next for the Gators. Florida is at Vanderbilt on Friday, Sept. 25 and No. 14 Auburn on Sunday, Sept. 27.  

Both of the league matches will be streamed on SEC Network + and all three matches can be heard on GatorZone.com.

Mississippi (5-2-2, 0-2 SEC) at No. 12 Florida (6-2-0, 1-1 SEC)

Stadium: James G. Pressly Stadium (973)

Weather: 76 degrees, spotty showers, winds 7 MPH NNE, 92 % humidity

 Scoring Summary:

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 Shots: Mississippi 13; Florida 17

 Saves: Mississippi 8 (Marnie Merritt 8); UF 3 (Kaylan Marckese 3)