Four goals by three different seniors led to the No. 12 Gator
soccer team’s (12-3-1, 9-1 SEC) 4-1 win Sunday over the Mississippi State
Bulldogs (8-8-1, 1-8-1 SEC) on a day celebrating Florida’s senior class. It was
the ninth-consecutive victory for Florida, all against SEC opponents.
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Sunday’s SEC Scores
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Florida
4, Mississippi State 1
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Arkansas
1, Auburn 0
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Tennessee
3, LSU 2 OT
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Mississippi
2, South Carolina 1
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Missouri
2, Alabama 1
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Texas
A&M 4, Vanderbilt 0
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Kentucky
1, Georgia 0
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With the match tied at 1-all, three goals in a 10-minute span put
UF in command. Senior midfielder Jo Dragotta broke the tie when she
scored her second game-winning goal of her Gator career in as many matches. She
scored her first game-changer on Friday in the Gators 2-1 victory over the No.
14 Missouri Tigers.
It was an emotional win for the Gators as they commemorated the
careers of five seniors; McKenzie Barney, Dragotta, Holly King, Erika
Tymrak and Kathryn Williamson.
The Gators first score came just over four minutes into the
match, marking the earliest goal scored by the team this season. Three seniors
accounted for the goal that started when King passed the ball up to Tymrak who
then glided past two defenders to play a through ball off to an open Barney.
Bulldogs goalkeeper Skylar Rosson came up to the six-yard box to defend but
Barney was able to cross the ball in low just past Rosson to the far left post.
This was Barney’s fifth goal of her senior season.
“Erika
dribbles and commits defenders,” Barney said. “She committed two defenders and
I made the run that I always make when she commits those players. I took a
touch and found that the keeper wasn’t at the post so I tried to hit it there.”
The Gators out-shot the Bulldogs in the first half 12-0 but
Barney’s shot was the only one that resulted in a goal. The Bulldogs first shot
of the match was a goal at 46:26, which tied the two teams with a goal each.
The score happened when Bulldog midfielder Jasmine Simmons crossed the ball
from the left side of the field into Florida territory. The ball found the head
of Madison McKee who bounced it back to Honeye Heydari at the top of the box.
Heydari was able to strike the ball past the hands of a diving Taylor Burke
to the far left post.
“We
had trouble getting our rhythm and they had that one chance, that one counter,”
Barney said. “It was something that we just had to take a deep breath and
relax. We’re just going to play our game and be more disciplined.”
The three-goal flurry started with a blast from Dragotta at
70:47. After battling back-and-forth in front of Mississippi State’s goal, the
Gators were finally able to get the ball past defenders and finish. Sophomore Annie
Speese broke away from defenders fast enough to get the ball off to
Dragotta whose 20-yard strike scored at the top right corner of the net.
“Sometimes our team needs something to boost us up and that second
goal definitely boosted us up,” Dragotta said. “I’m just really proud of my
team.”
The Gators third goal came off a free kick from Tymrak who took
the shot just outside of the 18-yard box at 76:53.
“I got taken down at the top of the box so when I put the ball
down I saw a four-foot gap between the wall and the post,” Tymrak said. “The
keeper was kind of behind the wall so I just looked at the spot and dropped it
low. I basically just focused on hitting the spot because no one was there.”
Florida scored again at 80:23 with a penalty kick from Dragotta
after the Bulldogs’ goalkeeper Rosson received a red card and was ejected for
denying a goal-scoring opportunity with a foul on freshman Claire Falknor.
Dragotta took the opportunity to get her first career double when she scored
the penalty shot past backup goalie CJ Winship. Dragotta has scored five goals
in her Gator career – all in the last seven matches. She has scored in each of
Florida’s last three matches.
Three now share Florida’s lead for season goals at five each –
Barney, Dragotta and sophomore Havana Solaun. Tymrak, who leads UF with
six assists, shares the season points lead with Solaun at 14 each.
The 2012 senior class claims the nation’s sixth-highest number of
wins over the last four seasons with a record of 64-19-6. They have been a part
of two Southeastern Conference title teams and have advanced to the NCAA
tournament the last three seasons.
“Our seniors are a really special group,” Coach Becky Burleigh
said. “They contribute in ways you see on the field and they contribute in ways
you don’t see off the field. They’re great leaders and they have certainly left
a legacy for this program that’s going to be tough to follow.”
The Gators finish their home schedule today with a record of 8-1
on their home turf this season.
