ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — A goal in each half sends the No. 23 Florida soccer team to the Southeastern Conference Tournament final, as the Gators posted a 2-1 win Friday over Alabama in the day’s second semifinal match.
The win sends Florida (16-6, 7-4 SEC) to its second consecutive and 13th overall SEC Tournament final appearance on Sunday where it will meet Auburn. The Tigers advanced with a 2-0 win over Tennessee in Friday’s first semifinal. UF is the defending SEC Tournament champ.
Sunday’s championship match airs at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU (Cox Cable channel 251) and AM-850.
All the scoring of the opening half came within a 40-second span. Alabama (10-8-3, 4-5-2 SEC) struck first at 32:07 when freshman Pia Rijsdijk scored off a corner kick.
Then it was Florida’s turn. The Gators brought the ball down to the Tide half. Sophomore Caroline Triglia played a diagonal ball for Erika Tymrak on the left side of the box. She hit a hard strike from seven yards to the far corner at 32:47.
The Gators had several dangerous chances in the second half, but UF pulled ahead when senior Lindsay Thompson scored in the 81st minute.
