It is officially SEC season and the Gators are ready to make their march towards an SEC championship.
The Gators started their campaign against Kentucky Thursday.
The first half was exactly what was expected. A goalless half with lots of physicality. Both teams were looking for control early. Possession was being flipped back and forth, mainly by throw ins within the first five minutes.
It was a possession battle for the next 20 minutes as both teams were looking to create an opening to open the scoring.
Kentucky applied pressure with two corners early on but nothing came of them. Florida handled the threat and cleared the ball convincingly.
The Gators started to feel the pressure from Kentucky, which led to multiple fouls in the first half. They conceded 8 fouls and earned a yellow card, courtesy of Lauren Donovan.
The Wildcats had some pressure to deal with as Florida applied offensive pressure late in the half. The Gators found two corners within the last two minutes of the half but didn’t capitalize.
The first half ended with Kentucky in control of the game. The Wildcats had five shots, six corners, and one foul committed. The Gators had one shot, one corner and eight fouls.
It was a pretty dominant half from Kentucky.
Both teams made substitutions before the second half.
The second half began and Kentucky continued to control the game. They gained some offensive pressure early, but nothing to worrying for the Florida back line.
Florida answered that pressure with some of their own. It didn’t end in anything serious, but it was a reminder to the Wildcats that they were there to get a result.
The physicality wasn’t left in the first half. Kentucky and Florida both conceded fouls in the first six minutes of the half and it didn’t stop there.
Both teams were making hard tackles, pulling on shirts, and using their shoulders to push each other off the ball.
Kentucky saw an early opportunity from Maddie Kemp, that made Alexa Goldberg make a save. Kentucky was slowly applying offensive pressure within the next five minutes.
The Gators fouled two times within this span and were struggling to retain possession. Kentucky earned themselves a corner and saw some good moves of play that ended up in Florida goal kicks.
It felt like Kentucky was on the doorstep of going 1-0 up. The Gators earned themselves a corner, though, giving them a much needed period of offensive pressure. The corner was unsuccessful and resulted in a goal kick, but it clearly gave the ladies some confidence.
The physicality continued as Kentucky conceded two fouls in two minutes.
Possession was mainly Kentucky throughout the second half. But, Florida was maintaining their defensive press with more composure and stability than how they were in the first half.
The second half dwindled down and it was still goalless. Both teams weren’t giving an inch and both coaches were trying to make a game changing substitution.
Kentucky found two corners in the last five minutes of the match. What felt like an anxious moment for Florida and the spark of hope for the Wildcats, the Florida defense stood strong and dealt with the pressure.
The final whistle was blown and the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Florida finished the match with two shots, zero on goal, 16 fouls, and three corners. Kentucky finished the match seven shots, two on goal, eight fouls, and nine corners.
It seemed like Kentucky’s game to win, but the Florida defense held strong for a hard-fought point.
The Gators have their second SEC matchup this Sunday against Auburn, who are ranked 6th nationally and have had an undefeated season so far.
It will be a tough match for the Gators, especially if the offensive side of the ball isn’t giving the defense some time to recover. The Gators can bring a good fight this Sunday and it should be another exciting, physical match.
ChompTalk.com 
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