Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Becky Burleigh and her Florida soccer program spent a very long offseason lamenting what happened in 2018 and waiting for a chance at redemption this fall. The Gators went 7-10-4 during the 2018 campaign, the worst record in program history. Burleigh, the only head coach ever to walk the UF sideline, was eager to see what a new roster and new season would bring as her team entered its Silver Anniversary season. 

Two wins on the road last weekend — a gutty 3-2 overtime victory at Florida Atlantic, followed by a 2-0 shutout defeat of No. 18 South Florida in front of a record Tampa crowd — was a nice way to come out of the gate, but really served as just a teaser for the early task at hand. A difficult one, at that. 

You know that saying about how stuff is about to get real? 

"We're going to find out very quickly what we need to work on," Burleigh said earlier this week. 'I think that's helpful, much like what the Miami game did for the football team. What a great gift to be able to play a quality opponent." 

She wasn't talking about that top-20 USF squad, either. On Tuesday, the Gators (2-0) headed west to Los Angeles for a two-game road swing that starts late Thursday night against No. 5 Southern Cal (2-0), then takes the team across town Sunday to face No. 4 UCLA (2-0). 

Buckle up, ladies. 

"You need to be in a learning environment, need to challenge yourself and be in places that are uncomfortable," redshirt junior keeper Susi Espinoza said. "Not just playing good teams, but traveling this much the first two weeks is its own challenge. It's good to get the heavy and hard stuff done with."

True, except that when Florida gets back home Monday the players can rest up and start looking forward to their next match — a road trip Friday at No. 1, reigning national champion and rival Florida State. 

First things first. The Gators will have plenty to concern themselves with against a couple Pac-12 powerhouses. Espinoza's teammates agreed as to the benefits of a front-end challenge like a back-to-back against the Trojans and Bruins, both far from home, can do to set a team's collective jaw early in the season. 

"It's going to be good for us," junior forward Deanne Rose said. "Playing top teams, that's what you have to do if you want to be a top team. I believe we're a team that can compete with anyone in the nation, so we're ready to prove that. To do that, you have to play the Top 10s." 

Or in this case, the top 5s.  The Gators are the only team in the country that will play four opponents rank in the top 20 over its first five matches, with three of those foes in the top five. 

"You don't get to the top by beating mediocre teams," redshirt junior midfielder Parker Roberts said. "I'm excited, especially if we implement what we learned from the last games, we can hang with anyone." 

In the season opener, UF trailed FAU, 1-0, at halftime, but scored consecutive goals in the second half, only to give up the tying score in the 88th minute to send the game into overtime. The Gators didn't sulk about failing to close out the Owls, but rather got the game winner eight minutes into extra period, Rose on a pass from sophomore midfielder Cassidy Lindley.

Two days later, Rose played a part in both second-half goals in the win at USF – assisting on Kit Loferski's goal and then adding her own goal just over five minutes later - and the Gators got a career-best eight saves from Espinosa to beat the Bulls. 

"It was exciting to see what we've been working toward come to fruition," Rose said. 

For her three-goal, seven-point weekend, Rose, a member of the 2019 FIFA Canadian National team that competed in the World Cup, was named TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Player of the Week, as well as Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Come Friday night, she'll look across the field at a USC squad armed with two of the best players in the country in 2018 Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year Kaylie Collins and All-America junior midfielder Savannah DeMelo, who tallied 28 points last season on nine goals and 10 assists. 

Like the Gators said, this match (and the two to follow) is an opportunity to measure themselves against the best. 

Or, as Burleigh put, "We'll know a lot more about our team in the next week."