GAINESVILLE, Fla.  – Scoring fireworks on the field and a post-match fireworks display treated the Donald R. Dizney Stadium crowd Thursday as the Florida soccer team defeated Alabama 6-0.
 
Scoring in Thursday's Match:
Both Gator goals in the opening half came off the end of two well-placed balls. The first started when Savannah Jordan played the ball out right. Mayra Pelayo caught up with it and her cross was one-touched in by a sliding Jordan in the 14^th minute.
 
With just under 10 minutes left in the opening half, the Gators were awarded a free kick just above the box. The kick by Meggie Dougherty Howard went to the near post. Melanie Monteagudo was moving right across the face of the goal and headed the ball left to score her sixth goal of the season.
 
After the shoelaces of freshman Kit Loferski and UA's Caroline Alexander got caught, the Gators were awarded their fourth penalty kick of the season. Dougherty Howard successfully converted the penalty kick for her sixth goal of 2016.
 
Then the Gator scoring spark took off, with three goals within a four-minute span. The fourth goal started when Rachelle Smith sent a lofted ball down the left sideline. Loferski caught up and then sent a square pass to Jordan at near post. Jordan and Alabama goalkeeper Kat Stratton collided as each tried to control the ball. Brooke Sharp took advantage of the free ball to place it in with her left foot at 71:08.
 
Next up, Betsy Middleton sent a lofted ball to Pamela Begic who was making a run through the right side of the box. Begic took a touch to gain control and then put in a right-footed angled shot from 15 yards at 72:18.
 
The final goal of the match started when Monteagudo brought the ball down the right side of the box. She started to move toward goal and was tripped. The ball went to the far side of the six-yard box, where Loferski placed it in from 10 yards at 74:41 with her right foot.
 
Worth Noting:

• Florida's three leading scorers hit the Gators' first three goals Thursday. Jordan leads the team (and the Southeastern Conference) with 13 goals, while Monteagudo and Dougherty Howard share second on the team with six goals each. Those goal totals are career season highs for both Monteagudo and Dougherty Howard.
• Two Gators raised their 2016 goal total to three in Thursday's match - Begic and Loferski. Thursday's goal was the first of the season for Sharp.
• This was Florida's third win in 2016 with five or more goals – 5-2 versus Iowa State (Aug. 19), 7-2 at Oklahoma State (Sept. 4) and 6-0 versus Alabama (Oct. 20). Florida entered the match No. 5 in NCAA Division I play and leading the SEC with a 2.57 goals-per-match average.
• Jordan's goal was her 78^th as a Gator. She is tied for 22^nd all-time among NCAA Division I goal scorers and is one of seven to reach that total since 2000.
• Florida now has five shutouts this season, with four in the last six matches.

 
2016 Records:
Florida: 11-4, 6-3 SEC
UA: 8-7-1, 3-5-1 SEC
 
Hear from the Gators:
On tonight's performance:
"I think the most impressive part of the match was the shutout and the no shots on goal. That's really difficult to do in our sport. Credit to our team and the defense that we played." - Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
 
On Thursday's match:
"We've had so many opportunities all season to really finish all of our chances. It's really exciting because we knew it was coming. It's great to bounce back from a hard loss. To get back and score six goals is great for us. Hopefully, we can just come out with the same intensity on Sunday." – sophomore midfielder Melanie Monteagudo
 
On the team's performance tonight:
"I'm really proud of the way our team came our tonight. We've been talking about putting together a full 90-minute performance, and that's something we focused on tonight. Taking advantage of the moment we have here and each game moving forward is very important for us. I'm really happy with the way that everyone came out. We fought hard for each other, and we were able to play for the full 90 minutes. Obviously, a good result came from that." senior midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard
 
On Sunday's Senior Day:
"It's crazy to think about. We're just trying to make the most of the time that we have together because this is the last time that this team will be together as a whole team. Our games together are limited. It's crazy thinking it's our last regular season home game. Time flies. I'm trying not to think about it too much because it's going to be an emotional game. Just trying to use that emotion to play for each other." - senior midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard
 
On Thursday's win:
"We rebounded great from that loss. We focused on playing hard for each other and finishing out these last games. I'm extremely proud of how we played tonight. We came out hard, got an early goal and after that it was kind of like everything opened up. Everyone played a role, we had six different people score a goal. That's amazing. To have a great team win like that is big." – senior forward Savannah Jordan
 
Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida swept the 2015 SEC titles (regular-season and tournament). Alabama was 14^th in 2015 SEC standings. 
Current standings: Florida is fourth with a 6-3 record and Alabama is ninth with a 3-4-1 record.  
 
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 20 on the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
 
Next up:
Senior Day is next for the Gators when the team plays host to Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 23. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium. Admission is free for all regular-season Gator home matches.
 
The first 500 fans at Dizney Stadium Sunday get a pack of Gator Soccer Senior Cards.
 
When the two team last met in Starkville in the 2015 season, Florida took at 2-1 win. Mississippi State is 6-10 and is 14th in the SEC standings at 1-8 after its 3-0 loss at Tennessee Thursday.
 
The match streams live on SEC Network + and can be heard on FloridaGators.com.
 
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Alabama at No. 20 Florida
Stadium: Donald R. Dizney Stadium (1,079)
Weather: partly cloudy, 80 degrees, 59% humidity, NNE 7 mph
 

Goals by Period	1	2	Total
Alabama	0	0	0
Florida	2	4	6

 
Scoring Summary:

No.	Time	Team	Goal Scorer	Assist	Description
1.	13:24	UF	Savannah Jordan	Mayra Pelayo	Tap-in near center 8yds away
2.	35:30	UF	Melanie Monteagudo	Meggie Dougherty Howard	3yd header off free kick
3.	66:37	UF	Meggie Dougherty Howard		Penalty kick
4.	71:08	UF	Brooke Sharp	Savannah Jordan, Kit Loferski	3yds tap in
5.	72:18	UF	Pamela Begic	Betsy Middleton	15yd angled shot
6.	74:41	UF	Kit Loferski	Melanie Monteagudo	10yd shot

 
Shots: ALA 0, Florida 18
Saves: ALA 7 (Kat Stratton 7), Florida 0 (Kaylan Marckese 0)
 
Cautions and Ejections:
none