GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Two second-half goals gave the University of Florida soccer team a 2-0 win over Tennessee in Southeastern Conference home action Sunday at the James G. Pressly Stadium.
How the Gators Scored:
After a scoreless opening half,
Savannah Jordan put the Gators on the scoreboard in the 69
th minute. The play started when
Samantha Chung stepped up to a Tennessee clearance and one-touched it ahead to Jordan just above the box. Jordan and her defender fought for possession as Jordan moved toward goal and her seven-yard right-footed shot scored just inside the near post.
The Gators got an insurance goal in the 89
th minute when freshman
Sammie Betters scored her first collegiate goal. From just above the endline, sophomore
Sarah Troccoli sent the ball to Betters who was wide of the top of the 18-yard box. Betters took a touch and then hit a 23-yard shot which curled in at the far post upper corner.
Worth Noting:
- The goal was Jordan's eighth of the season. She leads UF in goals and points (23).
- Betters is the fifth Gator (and second freshman) to score her first collegiate goal this season, joining teammates Melanie Monteagudo, Gabby Seiler, Chung and Kit Loferski.
- The score at 88:18 by Betters is the latest in regulation for the Gators in 2016
- Tennessee entered Sunday's match with a three-match win streak – all by shutouts. Jordan's goal ended the Vols shutout streak at 354.54 minutes.
- Both teams entered the match 4-0 in 2016 Sunday matches.
- This was UF's second shutout of the season and first since the 3-0 win over Florida Atlantic on Aug. 21.
2016 Records:
Florida: 7-3, 2-2 SEC
UT: 6-5, 2-2 SEC
Gator Sound Bites:
On getting a win after Thursday's loss:
"I'm just really glad we had a game. When you come off a loss like we had on Thursday, it's great to get back out on the field. All we were looking for was a response from the team, and I think we got that. It was a pretty dominating performance in terms of us being able to keep it and our shots on goal. At the same time, I think Tennessee did a great job keeping us off the board in the first half.
I think our team wanted to make a statement, especially because we thought that result on Thursday wasn't who were thought we were. So I think they came out with a little chip on their shoulder to show who we were."
– Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
On Sammie Betters scoring her first collegiate goal:
"It's funny because at that point in the match we were just trying to keep possession, but obviously she saw something she thought she could exploit. She did and it went right in." Florida Head Coach
Becky Burleigh
On tonight's match…
"It's great to get a shutout, we've been working towards that all season. I'm really proud of how our team collectively played defense together. I also think we had a really good response after Thursday night. We recollected ourselves, and we know we're better than a 3-0 loss. So we came out today and played with that passion. We played for each other, and I think it benefited us in the best way.
"We're going to have another tough one on the road again next week. I think this is a good start to get us back on the right foot and to push forward to the rest of the SEC." – senior forward
Savannah Jordan
On her first collegiate goal:
"I looked up and saw the back post was open, so I figured 'Why not go for it?'. It went pretty well, I guess. It was exciting for sure and it's great to contribute for the team in any way." – freshman midfielder
Sammie Betters
Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida swept the 2015 SEC titles (regular-season and tournament). Tennessee tied for ninth in 2015 SEC standings.
Florida – The Gators are picked to win the 2016 Southeastern Conference title.
UT – The Vols are picked to take ninth in the 2016 SEC.
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 12 on the latest
National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
Next up:
Florida has a single match next week, as the Gators are at LSU (6-6, 1-3 SEC) on Friday, Sept. 30. Match time is set for 8 p.m. ET at the LSU Soccer Stadium. The Tigers lost 3-0 Sunday at Vanderbilt.
Last year, Florida scored a goal in each half to take a 2-1 home win over LSU. It was Florida's Kicking for a Cure match (cancer awareness).
The match can be seen on ESPN Gainesville 95.3 and FloridaGators.com.
Follow the Gators:
No. 12 Florida versus Tennessee
Stadium: James G. Pressly Stadium (979)
Weather: partly cloudy, 87 degrees, 57% humidity, SE 3 mph
| Goals by Period |
1 |
2 |
Total |
| Tennessee |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Florida |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Scoring Summary:
Shots: Tennessee 8, Florida 24
Saves: Tennessee (Shae Yanez 8 - 45 min, Jamie Simmons 5 – 45 min), Florida 1 (
Kaylan Marckese 1)
Cautions and Ejections:
Rylie O'Keefe, UT –yellow (9:29),
Briana Solis, UF-yellow (53:03)
