The first competition of the 2021-22 athletic calendar is complete and, unfortunately for the Gators, has resulted in the first loss for a Florida program.
The Gators soccer program dropped a 2-1 decision in Tampa against the No. 20 South Florida Bulls on Thursday in a match that also kicked off the Tony Amato era. Amato became just the second head coach to roam the sidelines for the UF soccer team.
The defending American Athletic Confernce champions dominated possession and fired fifteen shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg made thirteen saves, including a few that were highlight-reel worthy, but it wasn’t enough on this day.
The Bulls found twine first as Chloe Zamiela sent a shot to the right side of the net, just beyond Goldberg’s reach.
Florida was able to equalize things almost immediately after the halftime break as Kit Loferski scored Florida’s first goal of 2021 at the 47-minute mark. Of her goal, the graduated Gator remarked, ” Cece (Price) … played a perfect … ball, (I) saw the keeper off the line. I honestly hoped the best on my shot.”
The momentum, however, was short lived. In the 50th minute, a scramble in front of Goldberg gave USF several opportunities and the Bulls finally capitalized on their third shot attempt of the sequence. Madeline Penman-Derstine was credited with the eventual game winner.
The Gators finished with just four shot attempts in the match and mounted very little pressure offensively. Amato stated, “there are a lot of things we need to work on, we are still trying to figure it out.”
Goldberg’s thirteen saves are the second most by a Florida keeper in program history and the most in two decades (16, Jordan Kellgren, 2001).
Florida will look to right the ship with Sunday’s home opener against Texas on Sunday. The game is set to kickoff at noon. The Longhorns dropped a 4-0 contest to UCF on Thursday.