No. 6 Arkansas Wins 3-1 Over Florida in SEC Tournament Semifinal

Thursday, November 7

Orange Beach, AL

4:30 p.m.

Florida Gators

11-8-1, 6-3-1

Arkansas

16-2-2, 8-1-1

Florida

Arkansas

Vanessa Kara (#27) scores her 10th goal of the season on a penalty kick in Thursday's 3-1 loss to Arkansas in Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinal action.

No. 6 Arkansas Wins 3-1 Over Florida in SEC Tournament Semifinal

Thursday, November 7, 2019 | Soccer

Box Score

The Razorbacks advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament final with Thursday's win.

By: Mary Howard

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Southeastern Conference Soccer Tournament play concluded for Florida Thursday with a 3-1 loss to No. 6 Arkansas in semifinal action at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.

The Gators outshot the Razorbacks 20-9, including a 9-6 shots-on-goal advantage, but couldn't find the scoring touch in Thursday's run of play.

Thursday's scoring:
Arkansas scored the only goal of the opening half off a corner kick. The ball sent by Cara Young bounced just above the six-yard box. Stefani Doyle's left-footed shot on the volley scored at the near post upper slot at 40:04.

The SEC Freshman of the Year put the Razorbacks ahead 2-0 in the 59^th minute. Anna Podojil received the square ball from Tori Cannata at the top of the box and scored on a 19-yard right-footed shot to the upper far corner.

A penalty kick was awarded when Florida's Sammie Betters was fouled by Podojil on a drive along the end line. Fellow senior Vanessa Kara successfully converted the penalty kick to cut the lead to 2-1 in the 63rd minute.

The match's final goal resulted with Podojil stepped in front of a pass between the Gator backline and then scored on a 25-yard shot to the far post in the 78^th minute.

Worth Noting:

Kara's penalty kick pushed her team-leading goals total to 10. It is the 20^th time in the program's 25 year history that at least one Gator scored 10 or more goals in a season.
Arkansas' goalkeeper Katie Lund's eight saves today equaled her season-high in a regulation match.
Florida was looking for its 18^th spot in the SEC Tournament final. This is the second consecutive year Arkansas defeated UF in the SEC Tournament semifinal round.

Records:
Florida: 11-8-1, 6-3-1 SEC
Arkansas: 16-2-2, 8-1-1 SEC

What the Becky Burleigh Said:
On team's performance tonight:
"I was actually happy with the amount of offensive opportunities that we created. Got to have a little more composure and finish those. For sure that would change the complexion of the game." – Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh

NCAA Tournament is next:
"I think we've done enough to get a NCAA bid. It now turns to recovering from this tournament, building some momentum into the week and play where ever they tell us – home or away." – Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh

Next Up:
Florida returns to Gainesville to wait for the announcement of the 64-team field for 2019 NCAA Championships. The field is revealed Monday, Nov. 11 at 4:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.

Florida (11-8-1, 6-3-1 SEC) versus No. 6 Arkansas (16-2-2, 8-1-1 SEC)
Stadium: Orange Beach Sportsplex
Weather: 74 degrees, winds SSE at 6 mph, 89% humidity

Goals by Period	1	2	Total
Florida	0	1	1
Arkansas	1	2	3

Scoring Summary:

No.	Time	Team	Goal Scorer	Assist
1.	40:04	UA	Stefanie Doyle	Cara Young
2.	58:11	UA	Anna Podojil
3.	62:15	UF	Vanessa Kara	PK
4.	77:53	UA	Anna Podojil

Shots: Florida 20, Arkansas 9
Saves: Florida 3 (Susi Espinoza 3) Arkansas 8 (Katie Lund 8)

Cautions:
Stefani Doye, UA – yellow (77:13); Arkansas bench – yellow (82:20), Parker Roberts, UF – yellow (83:45)