The
No. 11 University of Florida soccer team (14-4-1, 11-2 SEC) faces Mississippi
(13-8, 5-8 SEC) Wednesday in the Gators’ opening match of the Southeastern
Conference Tournament. Match time is set for 6 p.m. ET at the Orange
Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Ala.
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Wednesday’s Match Information:
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No.
11 Florida (14-4-1, 11-2 SEC) versus Mississippi (13-8, 5-8 SEC)
Date
& Time: Oct. 31, 2012 @ 6 p.m. ET
Site: Orange Beach Sportsplex (1,500) The Coaches: Becky Burleigh, 18th season @ UF (396-107-33/23rd season overall – 314-84-27/UF), Matthew Mott (28-27-5/third season overall and at UM)
Television:
none
Radio: ESPN 850/900
Streaming
video: all SEC Tournament action on Monday and Wednesday will
stream live on SEC
Digital Network
Internet: live
stats and audio for UF-UM match available on www.GatorZone.com
Admission:
$5
for adults and $2 for youth – contact the Orange Beach SportsPlex at
251-981-6039 for more information
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Florida enters SEC
Tournament play as the top seed after claiming its 12th league title with an
11-2 regular-season record. With the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M to
the SEC this season, the league tournament also expanded a day. The Rebels won
a 1-0 decision over LSU in Monday’s play-in match to advance to the
tournament’s eight-team bracket.
When the two teams met for
their regular-season match on Sept. 28 in Gainesville, three different Gators
scored in Florida’s 3-1 win. Sophomore Havana Solaun put the Gators on
the board in the 15th minute when she scored off the cross from Taylor
Travis. Fellow sophomore Jillian Graff, making her first start of
the season, scored for the second consecutive match with her goal in the 51st
minute. The Rebels narrowed the lead to a single goal with their strike in the
54th minute but junior Caroline Triglia gave the Gators some breathing
room when she volleyed in the deflection off her shot in the 75th minute.
Gator seniors Tymrak and
Holly King picked up SEC Player of the Year honors when the league
office announced the season’s awards Monday afternoon. Tymrak is the first
Gator to be named SEC Offensive Player of the Year since the league began
naming an Offensive and Defensive honoree in 2005. King is the SEC Defensive
Player of the Year and is the third Gator to earn the honor since 2009. Joining
the pair on the All-SEC first team is fellow senior Jo Dragotta. Center
back Christen Westphal is part of both the All-SEC second and Freshman
teams.
Although Florida leads all
league teams with nine SEC Tournament titles, only the 2007 and 2010 titles
came at the Orange Beach SportsPlex. Eight of the last nine SEC Tournaments
have been held in Orange Beach, Ala. The Gators advanced to the tournament
final five times in Orange Beach, with Tennessee taking a penalty kick decision
after the two teams tied 1-1 20T in the 2003 final and the Gators lost 2-1 to
Kentucky in the 2006 final. In the 2011 final, Florida lost 3-2 to Auburn. The
Gators hoisted the SEC Tournament trophy in 2007 (4-1 versus Georgia) and 2010
(1-0 versus South Carolina). Florida has advanced to the SEC Tournament final
13 of its 17 SEC Tournament appearances.
In Florida’s last match, the
Gators went to the regular-season finale at South Carolina needing a win to
ensure the 2012 SEC title would return to Gainesville. After a scoreless
opening half, the Gators turned in three goals to claim the title with a 3-0
win. Junior Adriana Leon started the Gator scoring, executing on the
“go” end of a give-and-go with Tymrak. Leon’s left-footed goal from seven yards
was her fourth of the year. Sophomore Annie Speese turned in her fourth
double-goal match of her career and first of the year, scoring in the 73rd
and 87th minutes. She placed in the deflection off a Travis cross
for her first score and then scored off a ball from an end line run by Tessa
Andujar to finish UF’s scoring.
Seniors McKenzie Barney
and Dragotta lead the Gators with six goals each. Tymrak tops the Gators’
points chart with 17. Dragotta now owns six career goals – all scored this
season and within the span of the last 10 matches. Tymrak’s 91 points place her
seventh on Florida’s career chart while Barney is eighth at 72.
Mississippi lost its final
three matches of the SEC season all by one goal decisions, including a 3-2
overtime loss to LSU. Juniors Rafaelle Souza and Mandy McCalla lead the league
with 13 goals each. Souza tops the SEC with 33 points and McCalla is close
behind at 31. Both were named to the 2012 All-SEC second team and Souza shared
the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor. It was Souza’s goal with just 43
seconds remaining in regulation which advanced Mississippi to Wednesday’s match
as the Rebels defeated LSU 1-0 Monday in Orange Beach.
