Gators coach Becky Burleigh and senior forward Savannah Jordan (right) after last week's preseason win at USF.
Lots of Bodies, Lots in Store for Gators
Thursday, August 18, 2016 | Soccer, Chris Harry
With 39 players, Becky Burleigh has biggest roster in program's 22-season history.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 2016 soccer campaign is here and Florida coach Becky Burleigh's squad numbers 39 players. That marks the largest roster in the program's 22-year history.
That's a lot of personnel.
"It's been awesome," said Burleigh, whose seventh-ranked Gators open the season Friday night against Iowa State at Pressly Stadium, then host Florida Atlantic on Sunday afternoon. "We've been able to do some things we've not been able to do before. The competition has been healthy within the group and everybody is pushing everybody."
Burleigh, in turn, is pushing her players. In time, she'll be pushing their buttons. When it comes to motivational tactics, she's really, really good. Her ploys over the life of the her UF program have helped account for a 373-98-31 record, 14 Southeastern Conference titles (with at least a share of seven of the previous nine), including a sweep of the regular-season postseason league tournament championships in 2015.
The journey last fall included a fair share of props that Burleigh introduced to keep her team focused and on point. Some of the visual aids either remain or have been revisited for the 16 newcomers, among them 13 freshmen. But this is a new year, new team, so rest assured Burleigh will have some new concepts.
"We don't have any yet," senior forward, three-time All-American and two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year Savannah Jordan said. "But they're coming soon."
To review:
These metaphoric lessons apply both in sports and life. They work for the UF program. Now, a new wave of Gators is coming through. No one knows where the ups and downs of this season will take them, but as they seek their ultimate destination (a championship), Burleigh will make sure they don't overlook the journey along the way.
"Every day is sort of nerve-racking because you have to perform to the best of your abilities, but I think the transition for myself has been pretty good overall," said freshman defender Julia Lester, a Tampa product who could fill one of the pivotal back end spots vacated by four-year stalwarts Christen Westphal, the 2015 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and Claire Falknor. "I've been bonding with the team really well and that helps on and off the field."
With such a large team, chemistry becomes key. Burleigh has used a team-building trip to St. Petersburg Beach as well as daily get-to-know-you sessions at team lunches to break the ice.
On the field, the elevated numbers have allowed the UF staff options. Two teams can be play 11-on-11 and be substituted freely (with players to spare), while a group of others might be working on conditioning. It's a little different, but no less taxing.
The key?
"Just being organized, being a good manager," Burleigh said.
Some of the soccer, though, will take care of itself in the form of eight starters back from a team that finished 19-4-1. Of those eight, Jordan stands out as one of the premier players in the country, having scored more goals (65) than any other player active NCAA player. She finished her junior season with career bests of 24 goals and 55 points.
Matching those numbers won't be easy, but with the amount of depth and firepower after Jordan — six of UF's top seven points leaders from a year ago are back, including sophomore midfielder Sarah Troccoli and senior midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard — she could have an even more productive year without amassing similarly fat stats.
Defensively, losing Westphal and Falknor to graduation left a void on the back end, with Burleigh emphasizing better organization in that facet.
"That'll be a work in progress," she said.
As for the new faces, some of the rookies will splash on the scene. Probably early.
The Gators already have a pair of exhibition matches under their belts, having defeated SEC rival and eighth-ranked Texas A&M and South Florida, both by 2-1 scores, with both matches in Tampa. The games gave the squad a nice launching pad into the season, as well as a baseline for areas of concentration.
"We've done a good job of integrating everybody and it only makes the practices more competitive," Dougherty Howard said. "It gives us more girls to compete against and raises the level. It's been good so far."
It figures only to get better.
Burleigh will make it interesting along the way.
That's a lot of personnel.
"It's been awesome," said Burleigh, whose seventh-ranked Gators open the season Friday night against Iowa State at Pressly Stadium, then host Florida Atlantic on Sunday afternoon. "We've been able to do some things we've not been able to do before. The competition has been healthy within the group and everybody is pushing everybody."
Burleigh, in turn, is pushing her players. In time, she'll be pushing their buttons. When it comes to motivational tactics, she's really, really good. Her ploys over the life of the her UF program have helped account for a 373-98-31 record, 14 Southeastern Conference titles (with at least a share of seven of the previous nine), including a sweep of the regular-season postseason league tournament championships in 2015.
The journey last fall included a fair share of props that Burleigh introduced to keep her team focused and on point. Some of the visual aids either remain or have been revisited for the 16 newcomers, among them 13 freshmen. But this is a new year, new team, so rest assured Burleigh will have some new concepts.
"We don't have any yet," senior forward, three-time All-American and two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year Savannah Jordan said. "But they're coming soon."
To review:
- After upsetting top-ranked and rival Florida State early last season, Burleigh gave each player a flower. Why? Because flowers wilt. Victories, after all, are fleeting.
- After a tough loss to defending SEC champ Texas A&M, out came a rubber ball. Why? To symbolize the need to bounce back.
- Green arm bands. Why? Green means go. So push. Keep going. Never stop.
- Burleigh brought a wooden oar to one of her weekly press availability. Why? For centuries, oars have been used to paddle boats. Rowers in unison. They require teamwork.
- And then there were the white wrist bands made to look like the dimpled surface of a golf ball. Burleigh explained to her team that in the early days of golf, the ball was smooth. But as the ball was used, it developed dents and imperfections that helped it travel farther.
These metaphoric lessons apply both in sports and life. They work for the UF program. Now, a new wave of Gators is coming through. No one knows where the ups and downs of this season will take them, but as they seek their ultimate destination (a championship), Burleigh will make sure they don't overlook the journey along the way.
"Every day is sort of nerve-racking because you have to perform to the best of your abilities, but I think the transition for myself has been pretty good overall," said freshman defender Julia Lester, a Tampa product who could fill one of the pivotal back end spots vacated by four-year stalwarts Christen Westphal, the 2015 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and Claire Falknor. "I've been bonding with the team really well and that helps on and off the field."
With such a large team, chemistry becomes key. Burleigh has used a team-building trip to St. Petersburg Beach as well as daily get-to-know-you sessions at team lunches to break the ice.
On the field, the elevated numbers have allowed the UF staff options. Two teams can be play 11-on-11 and be substituted freely (with players to spare), while a group of others might be working on conditioning. It's a little different, but no less taxing.
The key?
"Just being organized, being a good manager," Burleigh said.
Some of the soccer, though, will take care of itself in the form of eight starters back from a team that finished 19-4-1. Of those eight, Jordan stands out as one of the premier players in the country, having scored more goals (65) than any other player active NCAA player. She finished her junior season with career bests of 24 goals and 55 points.
Matching those numbers won't be easy, but with the amount of depth and firepower after Jordan — six of UF's top seven points leaders from a year ago are back, including sophomore midfielder Sarah Troccoli and senior midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard — she could have an even more productive year without amassing similarly fat stats.
Defensively, losing Westphal and Falknor to graduation left a void on the back end, with Burleigh emphasizing better organization in that facet.
"That'll be a work in progress," she said.
As for the new faces, some of the rookies will splash on the scene. Probably early.
The Gators already have a pair of exhibition matches under their belts, having defeated SEC rival and eighth-ranked Texas A&M and South Florida, both by 2-1 scores, with both matches in Tampa. The games gave the squad a nice launching pad into the season, as well as a baseline for areas of concentration.
"We've done a good job of integrating everybody and it only makes the practices more competitive," Dougherty Howard said. "It gives us more girls to compete against and raises the level. It's been good so far."
It figures only to get better.
Burleigh will make it interesting along the way.
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