DJ Lagway will get his first SEC start on a Homecoming Saturday as the Florida Gators (3-3, 1-2 SEC) seek to avoid a third-straight loss to the Kentucky Wildcats (3-3, 1-3 SEC) under Billy Napier. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:45 PM.
The Gators are coming off a 23-17 overtime loss at Tennessee. Florida squandered its 10-0 lead in the third quarter, and the Volunteers scored 17 unanswered points before DJ Lagway’s late fourth-quarter touchdown pass effectively sent the game to overtime. UF’s weak opening possession in overtime led to a missed field goal, and Tennessee capitalized with a touchdown to end the game.
Graham Mertz suffered an ACL tear in the third quarter that ended his season and college career. The senior elected not to apply for a medical redshirt year and thanked teammates and fans for their support in an Instagram post Monday.
Kentucky is coming off a 20-13 home loss to a surprisingly good Vanderbilt squad. Special teams woes cost the Wildcats in critical moments. A poor hold on a 20-yard field goal and a missed extra point in the second half allowed Vanderbilt to widen the gap on the scoreboard.
Special teams is not Kentucky’s only position group struggling recently. The offense has averaged 12.8 PPG against non-Power 4 opponents, and quarterback Brock Vandagriff has not recorded over 250 passing yards in a game this season.
Kentucky’s rushing attack is always a point of emphasis under head coach Mark Stoops. Wildcats’ running back Ray Davis posted 280 yards and three touchdowns in Florida’s defeat last season. This year, though, Kentucky has struggled to utilize its dominance in the trenches. The squad has been unable to score points despite averaging over 153 rushing yards per game.
On the other hand, Kentucky’s defense is its strongest unit. It has allowed a mere 16.7 PPG to its last three SEC opponents, including Georgia and Ole Miss. The only SEC quarterback to throw for over 200 yards against Kentucky was Jaxson Dart. Carson Beck (160 yards) and Diego Pavia (143 yards) were unable to meet that mark.
Napier has yet to beat Stoops head-to-head. Kentucky defeated Florida 26-16 in The Swamp in 2022 and notched a 33-14 victory at Kroger Field last season.
DJ Lagway will look to end Kentucky’s winning streak against Florida this Saturday. He faces a tall task in his first SEC start, but he’ll be surrounded by Gator fans in The Swamp for one of the biggest moments of his early career. The freshman must play with poise to secure a victory against a strong Kentucky defense.
“I think he’s gonna work extremely hard and I’m gonna tell you he’s been preparing as if he’s one play away from being the guy the whole time,” Napier said at a press conference Monday.
With last Sunday being the sixth match during SEC play, the Gators have seen many ups and downs throughout the season. Fortunately, there are a lot more ups than downs and the future of Gator’s soccer is looking more prosperous as the program itself is growing in a positive direction.
It’s obvious that the Gators aren’t the owners of a winning record this year, so far. The Gators are currently 1-3-2 in SEC play and 4-4-6 overall on the season. Two of the four losses came from top 10 opponents, Florida State and Auburn. The other two came from SEC matchups, Missouri and 23rd ranked South Carolina.
All four of these losses were a lot closer than the scoreline entailed. Five of the eight goals scored in their losses came in the second half, and three of those five were impactful scores in the last 15 minutes of the game. There hasn’t been a game this season where the Gators didn’t have a chance to win, but the ball sometimes goes the other way and you concede when you can’t afford to.
It’s easy to say that the Gators need to score more goals, but that will come alongside other successes that the Gators have dialed in this season.
The Gators are always competitive and tend to control the game, possession wise, for the majority of the game. Coach, Samantha Bohon, sets up her team up to create those opportunities from that possessive play style. If you have the ball, you can score. Florida doesn’t have a possession issue at all and that is something to highlight about this program. With this possession, you do get opportunities to score, but that will be talked about later on.
Another success that I have seen this season is the programs ability to adapt to new and changing tactics. Bohon said earlier in the season that she loves to be tactically prepared and be able to switch things up during the game if needed. This allows Florida to change the style of play and become more threatening on both sides of the ball after seeing the formation and play style of their opponent. Imagine it like it’s a quarterback calling an audible at the line of scrimmage after noticing the defense in a blitzing formation. The Gators are tactically capable to beat their opponent as well as physically. They have a whole other dimension of play unlocked because of the great work Bohon and her coaches do on and off the field.
The biggest struggle of this season has been scoring goals. The Gators only have two goals in SEC play and you can’t win a game if you don’t score. The Gators got opportunities and chances to score early in multiple games, but the moves are usually ended by a string of too many passes in the box. As a possessive team, the Gators rely on strings of passes and intricate passages of play to find the back of the net. Sometimes, this can be more of a hindrance as too many passes can ruin a movement.
There has been many opportunities stopped by a pass that didn’t work in the final third or a pass that was made when a shot could’ve found the net. Florida is getting the chances, but they aren’t making those clinical decisions in those vital moments and it has clearly affected the goal scoring performance of the season.
I want to see Florida be more clinical in the last four SEC games. I would like to see a goal in each of the last four games, specifically in the first half. Florida plays well when opening the scoring. They have a record of 4-0-1 when scoring first in the first half. The Gators are two goals away from having a much different record if they score in both 0-0 draws against Georgia and Kentucky; games where they had multiple chances to score but couldn’t. Instead of a record at 1-3-2, the Gators could be at .500 at a 3-3 record in the SEC if certain chances were capitalized on.
Ultimately, the Gators are better than what their record entails. This team is tough to break down and they can punish any team if they stay off their toes. Every game is close and has had clinical moments where a few inches in a certain direction is the difference between winning, drawing, or losing.
Despite the goal troubles, this has been a great season for the Gators. There has been incredible improvements in all aspects of the game since the beginning of the season. The defense has looked solid and composed, the midfield has been dominant, and attacking threat has been there. The Gators just need to add that cherry on top with goals and they will be a force in the SEC.
This program has an incredible future and Gator fans should be very excited for the product that Bohon will put out in the upcoming years. There is plenty of young talent that will take this program to the next level in the next five years and Bohon’s system is becoming a well-oiled machine. There’s a fire in this team that’s going to grow and I’m excited to see the successes in the future.
Florida quarterback Graham Mertz will miss the remainder of his sixth year of college football. The former Wisconsin signal caller tore his ACL in a non-contact injury after tossing a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Arlis Boardingham in Florida’s overtime loss to Tennessee Saturday.
Mertz was moving backwards after the throw before landing awkwardly on his left leg. Mertz left the game and headed to the locker room almost immediately. Mertz was seen on the sideline wearing a brace and on crutches as the Gators forced overtime with a late score.
Since his arrival at Florida, Mertz has completed nearly 74% of his passing attempts while throwing 26 touchdown passes and only five interceptions over 16 games played. His greatest asset, however, may have been the leadership he showed day in and day out.
The Gators offense will now turn to true freshman DJ Lagway, who has seen action in each game this season. Lagway started the game against Samford and threw for 456 yards and three scores. On Saturday, he finished the day 9-17 for 98 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Lagway will be backed up by Aidan Warner, a 6-3, 200 lb sophomore from Winter Park. Warner went 1-2 for ten yards in relief of Lagway in the Samford game.
Florida will face Kentucky at the Swamp Saturday night with kickoff slated for 7:45 PM. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network.
The Gators (1-3-1) took on the Georgia Bulldogs (2-2-2) after a tough 2-0 defeat to South Carolina earlier this week. They looked to bounce back against a tough opponent in the SEC. It was senior night at Donald R. Dizney Stadium for the Gators, so they were looking to have a winning fixture to keep their good spirits; on top of earning the all important three points.
Florida has not suffered a loss in the SEC while playing at home. The Diz was full of Gator fans for this rivalry game and their support could have been the difference if Florida managed to win in a tight game.
For the first five minutes, Florida controlled possession the most. They got off to a good start by forcing an early foul and moving the Georgia line back into their box. Florida was way more aggressive in lost ball recovery and won back possession almost instantly after losing it. A great start from Florida early on in the half.
Georgia began to settle into their game after a few minutes of solid possession. The Bulldogs found themselves applying more pressure and finding dangerous passing lanes through the Florida midfield. It was nothing super threatening thanks to the stable Florida back line.
The Gators answered with a threatening move of their own but an overweighted pass ends the move as the Georgia defender clears her line.
Florida got their first shot on target with a left-footed strike by Emily Hauser. She won her 50/50 challenge on the outside of the Georgia 18-yard box and delivered a strong shot right into the Georgia goalkeeper.
Georgia answered with a shot on target, too. A lob pass threaded beautifully by a Georgia midfielder found the striker up top with an opportunity to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. Alexa Goldberg made a routine save to keep it level.
Both teams were trying to find opportunities to get ahead. Both defenses were solidified and didn’t allow most shots to be a threat.
That was until a Florida counter attack after a heavy touch gave Lena Bailey the opportunity to put the Gators in front. She takes a touch to the outside and hit the ball sweetly with her right foot. The ball drags across the keepers box but she gathered her hands well and saved the shot. A really bright chance for the Gators is stopped by solid goaltending.
With 10 minutes left, Lena Bailey and Njeri Butts started a threatening counter attack. Butts drove down the left wing and tried using the outside of her foot to find her adjacent attacking partner in the box. The Georgia defense stood tall and spoiled the move for the Gators.
About a minute later, Georgia has a dangerous counter attack of their own. This one was a lot more threatening and if it wasn’t for a heroic block, the Bulldogs would’ve found themselves up at half. It was brilliant defending from Florida to block the shot and clear it as the pressure was high from other attackers.
The game began to really unfold for Florida as they spent majority of the last 10 minutes on the offensive front. The Gators were living in Georgia’s half and applying lots of offensive pressure. It felt like it was only a matter of time for Florida to find the net.
Georgia did have their moment late in the half as a pass across the Florida defensive line put a Bulldog through on goal. It was a 2 on 3 situation and Florida needed a hero. That hero was Madison Jones as she made a beautiful sliding tackle to stop the move right in its track. It was the most textbook tackle from Jones and Florida kept it even.
The half ended level with no goals. It was a great half with lots of opportunity from both sides. Florida was the most threatening as they controlled almost every aspect of the game.
The Gators finished the half with 5 shots, 3 on goal, and 2 corners. The Bulldogs finished the half with 3 shots, 1 on goal, and 1 corner. There was a lot to play for in the second half.
The first 10 minutes of the second half were very uneventful as both teams were flipping possession. It was starting to get chippy between both sets of attackers and defenders who are getting frustrated.
Florida earned their first corner of the half at 63:01 mark. A short corner was taken but the threat was handled by Georgia.
The Bulldogs had their first chance of the game with an incisive pass across the midfield that finds the right winger. She dribbles the ball down the wing and takes a shot which is deflected. The deflected shot pops up off a defender’s knee and Alexa Goldberg reaches the ball using every inch of her body to push it wide for a corner. The Gators handled the corner convincingly.
Georgia continued with their threatening moves. After a possession battle in midfield, Georgia found themselves with another chance to go ahead. A great cut-back pass allowed a prime opportunity for the go-ahead goal but bad contact and a routine save by Goldberg keeps it level.
Florida answered almost instantly after Njeri Butts wins possession back from a blocked shot. She ripped it from outside the box and forced a save from the Georgia keeper. Florida earned a corner from the shot, but it was unsuccessful.
With 73:40 seconds passed, Vera Blom hit a powerful strike that smacked the crossbar. It was the first time this game that a shot was even close to going in, but Georgia gets saved by the post.
After that reality check from Florida, Georgia pushed downfield with a breakaway opportunity.
What would’ve been a one-on-one turned into a phenomenal slide tackle from a Florida defender. This tackle had zero room for error as any contact would’ve awarder Georgia a penalty. It was perfectly timed and perfectly composed from the defender to keep Florida level.
In the last 10 minutes of the second half, both teams took up the intensity.
Florida found the best chance of the game from Vera Blom whose shot was miraculously saved by the Georgia keeper, Jordan Brown. Brown had zero business saving that shot but she did and Florida was stunned. A terrific save from the keeper.
“Credit to Georgia’s keeper because she was outstanding. She was just world class today,” said Florida Head Coach, Samantha Bohon.
Georgia found some good offensive movement with two minutes left in the half, but was spoiled by the linesman who raised his flag for offsides.
Lena Bailey drove down the field with intent. With a minute dwindling the clock, a goal would’ve meant three points.
The buzzer went off and the match ended 0-0. The points were shared here in Gainesville. A frustrating tie as Florida was the better team. Florida ended the second half with 9 shots, 3 on goal, and 4 corners. Georgia finished the second half with 6 shots, 4 on goal, and 3 saves.
Florida moves to (1-3-2) and is still undefeated at home. Georgia moves to (2-2-3).
Senior night didn’t end up being spoiled and the Gators are still in the hunt for the SEC tournament at the end of the season.
“This senior night was just different. We had so much energy, so much effort, so much grit, so much blue collar. So I think we did really well,” said Emilee Hauser
Down by one, 29 seconds on the clock and an opportunity to upset a top-10 team on the road in the SEC. Do you take the chance at a two-point conversion to win the game with a consensus five-star, dual-threat quarterback who just threw a 27-yard dart for a touchdown, or do you play it safe, kick the extra point and pray your team can get the job done in overtime? Billy Napier chose the latter, and it didn’t pay off.
The Florida Gators (3-3, 1-2 SEC) fell in OT to the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers (5-1, 2-1 SEC) 23-17 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on Saturday.
It was a story of missed opportunities all night for the Gators as they went 5-for-15 on third down conversions, 0-for-2 on fourth downs and scored just one touchdown in six trips to the red zone.
The bigger story, perhaps, was the decision-making by Napier, who is in his third year as Florida’s head coach.
The one that looms the largest was the call to not go for two with a chance to upset the Volunteers in a game where the Gators were two-touchdown underdogs. After a touchdown pass from DJ Lagway to Chimere Dike to cut the Florida deficit to one, the Gators initially lined up to go for it, but after Tennessee used a timeout, Napier sent out Trey Smack to kick the PAT and tie the game at 17 apiece.
“We had a play that we felt good about and then obviously they burned their timeout,” Napier said in a postgame press conference. “And I think from the 3 there, we were playing good on both sides of our team at that point in time, so I felt like let’s go play overtime, give our guys a chance to play more plays. Wasn’t quite ready to do that at that point in time.”
After hearing those comments, the question beckons, when will Napier be “ready” to take a chance to win the football game? The decision could not have come from a lack of talent and personnel. Florida has a 6’3″ 239 lbs quarterback in Lagway who had all the confidence in the world after making a perfect pass to set up the two-point conversion opportunity. Putting the ball in his hands to either try to make an accurate pass or use his legs to get in the end zone is what many Florida fans would have liked to see.
This wasn’t the only questionable call Napier made in the game. Another came with over eight minutes left in the second quarter and the Gators up 3-0. Florida had the ball inside the Tennessee 20-yard line and a fourth-and-inches decision to make. Lagway was in the game at quarterback and Montrell Johnson Jr. was at running back, who had run the ball effectively on the drive already. Instead of using either, Napier drew up a jet sweep to Eugene Wilson III who was stopped short of the line to gain and the Gators turned the ball over on downs.
With a chance to go up by two scores on the road against the No. 8 team in the country, not stuffing the ball up the gut with two guys as powerful as Lagway and Johnson in the backfield is something that perplexed almost every Gators fan watching.
A third debatable decision came on the next Florida possession following the unsuccessful fourth-down conversion attempt. The Gators had a first-and-goal on the Volunteers’ 1-yard line and tried a quarterback sneak with Graham Mertz, who fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Tennessee. Again, Johnson was in the backfield but didn’t get the ball in a short-yardage situation. This time, however, Johnson had run for 42 yards on the drive, including a 23-yard gash in which he ran over a Volunteer defender.
Of course, nobody was expecting Mertz, a veteran quarterback playing his sixth year of college football, to fumble on the 1. However, the reluctance to give the ball to a guy who is hot and is used to carrying and securing it in a crucial spot was shocking and came back to bite Napier and the Gators.
In the end, Florida was unable to score in its possession in overtime as Smack missed a 47-yard field goal attempt. Tennessee capitalized as running back Dylan Sampson ran the ball up the middle on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line and scored a walk-off touchdown in Knoxville.
As the seat gets hotter and hotter for Billy Napier with every controversial decision he makes and every loss for the Gators this season, it will be interesting to see how long the head man keeps his job in Gainesville.
The Florida Gators are riding a two game winning streak as they head to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers Saturday. The Gators walloped UCF in the Swamp last weekend to improve to 3-2 on the season.
Florida leads the all-time series, 31-21, between these two programs in a rivalry that dates all the way back to 1916. Since 2005, The Gators have claimed seventeen of the nineteen contests. Just a year ago, Florida rolled past then No. 11 Tennessee, 29-16.
This time, Florida travels to Knoxville to take on the eighth-ranked Vols, who suffered their first loss of the season last week against unranked Arkansas.
Did the Hogs give UF the blueprint to beat the high-powered Volunteers? Will the Gators be able to execute the plan? The following are our staff’s predictions for Florida – Tennessee.
Brian Fox: This has been a weird series, especially over the last twenty years or so. Somehow, Florida seems to overcome the highly rated Volunteers on a yearly basis, even when Tennessee is the resounding favorite. The befuddling part is how Tennessee seems to lose, seemingly finding new ways every meeting. Every indication is that Tennessee should run away with this one, heck, they scored 51 on No. 24 NC State. However, that high-flying offense has scored just 39 points total in their last two games. If the Gators offense can keep the defense off the field with sustained drives, maybe the momentum of the last two wins carries over and Florida upsets Tennessee. Just like I need the Gators to prove they are a decent football team, I need Tennessee to prove they can beat Florida. Gators, 34-31.
Ryan Friedwald: Every bone in my body wants to pick Florida, but the brain is not a bone and I can only be delusional to an extent. Tennessee has everything to lose and Florida has nothing to gain; but confidence. I think Tennessee has a bigger purpose and home field advantage to the point where they’ll come out and shut Florida down early. The Gators will either keep it within a touchdown or they will be down three touchdowns by half. Tennessee, 48-17.
Aiden Wacksman: Florida far exceeded my expectations in last week’s 24-13 win over UCF. The offense clicked in the first half, but I was more impressed with the defense and its ability to eliminate the Knights’ ground game. Tennessee, on the other hand, is coming off a 19-14 loss at Arkansas in which its offense struggled to yield any production. The Volunteers will head into Saturday hungrier than ever after their shocking defeat last weekend. Florida has performed poorly on the road in the Napier era, and I don’t think that will change heading into the matchup at Neyland. Tennessee’s defensive line will likely wreak havoc on the Gators’ offensive front. Tennessee, 30-17.
Florida and Tennessee are set to kickoff from Neyland Stadium at 7:00 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN nationally.
What are your expectations heading into the rivalry weekend?
Photo by Conor Kvatek • UCF Athletics • Getty Images
The Florida Gators (3-2, 1-1 SEC) will look to carry their momentum from back-to-back emphatic wins into a hostile environment in Knoxville to face off with the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday night.
Florida is coming off its most complete showing against a quality opponent of the season as the Gators dismantled a strong UCF team, beating them 24-13 in The Swamp. They will have to do a lot of the same if they want to have a chance against Tennessee, who will be coming into the game angry after losing to Arkansas 19-14 last Saturday.
This will be the 54th meeting all time between the two bitter rivals. Florida has owned Tennessee in the past two decades, winning 17 out of the last 19 matchups, including an upset victory over the then No. 11 Volunteers in Gainesville in 2023. At the end of that game, things got chippy between the two teams, as multiple players threw punches. It will be interesting to see if any of that emotion pours into this year’s game.
The Gators should be getting a key offensive piece back against a Volunteers defense that has yet to surrender 20 points in a game this season. Wideout Eugene “Tre” Wilson III, who has missed the last three games due to a minor knee surgery, was not listed on the Week 7 injury report. As he is the most explosive player on the Florida offense when healthy, Wilson’s presence on the field will be huge in a game where the Gators will need some firepower.
Since quarterback Graham Mertz returned from a concussion he suffered in Week 1 against Miami, Florida’s third-year head coach Billy Napier has been going with a two-quarterback offense. Mertz has been the starter and freshman DJ Lagway has commanded every third drive. This has propelled the Gators to two consecutive victories and is likely what Gator fans will see on Saturday in Knoxville.
Mertz had most of the passing attempts last week against UCF as he went 19-for-23 with 179 yards and a touchdown. Lagway was perfect through the air in his limited opportunities, going 4-for-4 with 50 yards and had a phenomenal 37-yard strike to Chimere Dike that set up a Florida touchdown. Both quarterbacks have been making contributions while on the field, but it is interesting to see if Tennessee’s stout defense can put a stop to it.
Lagway dime + Dike catch + Jackson run = 6 points #Gators 🐊
The passing game hasn’t been the only thing working for Napier’s offense in the two straight Florida victories, as the Gators’ rushing attack has been effective as well. As a team, Florida rushed for over 220 yards against Mississippi State on Sept. 21 and 130 more last Saturday against the Knights. Senior running back Montrell Johnson Jr. has been the leading man out of the Gators backfield, averaging almost five yards per carry in those two games.
As for Tennessee, the Volunteers’ offense is led by redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who has been named SEC Freshman of the Week three times already this season. He has thrown for over 1,000 yards in five starts with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also run for over 100 yards and one score as well.
Iamaleava has weapons all over the field to get the ball to. Dont’e Thornton Jr., Bru McCoy and Squirrel White all have big-play ability when they get the ball in their hands. Thornton has led the bunch so far this year with 284 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
While the Volunteers can throw the ball well, the real weapon of the Tennessee offense is the running game. Junior running back Dylan Sampson has led a rushing attack that has run for 267 yards per game this season. Sampson has gotten the bulk of the action, with 91 carries for 589 yards and 12 scores.
Florida’s defense was able to stifle a high-powered rushing game in RJ Harvey and UCF last week, holding them to just 108 yards on the ground as a team. The Gators will look to do the same against the fifth-ranked rushing attack in college football.
In an action-packed Saturday in the SEC, a Florida-Tennessee game rarely disappoints. The fun begins at 7 p.m. ET at Neyland Stadium on ESPN. Tennessee is currently a 15-point favorite over the Gators, according to ESPN Bet.
Samantha Bohon and her Gators took a trip to South Carolina in hopes to continue their winning ways in the SEC. After coming off a major 2-1 victory against Texas last Friday, Florida looked to keep the momentum going and grab another three points in the SEC. South Carolina was coming off a draw against Vanderbilt and was eager to get back on track with a win Thursday.
With both teams having the same level of emphasis on winning this match, it was going to be physical. Within the first 15 minutes, there were six fouls committed; five came from Florida. It was a very gritty opening 15 minutes as both teams wanted to control the game early and establish their play style for the match.
Both teams had great offensive pressure. It was back and forth between the two. Even though the pressure was there, both teams were solid defensively and all threats were handled accordingly.
South Carolina had the first real chance to get ahead from Corinna Zullo. Her shot traced towards the top left part of the net and was ultimately saved by the Florida goalkeeper, Alexa Goldberg. The ball eventually went out for a Gamecock corner.
Florida handled the threat of the corner and flipped the script with a corner of their own about a minute later. It was the first major chance for Florida and they probably hoped to recreate their opener against Texas. South Carolina clearly watched the film from last week and handled the corner convincingly.
Florida continued their offensive pace with more opportunities from Lauren Donovan and Madison Jones. hey both had chances within minutes of each other, but neither of their chances forced a save from the South Carolina goalkeeper, Christina Tsaousis. Donovan earned the Gators a corner with her attempt, but nothing came of it.
South Carolina earned two corner kicks late in the half. The first corner occurred at the end of the 30th minute and Florida dealt with the threat easily. The second attempt had an opportunity for the Gamecocks as well, but Florida managed to evacuate the danger from their box.
South Carolina wasn’t finished, though. Kylie Cino, with less than five minutes left in the half, took a strike that was heading towards the top of Goldberg’s net. Goldberg stood her ground and made the save, alleviating the potential threat. The rest of the half was a possession game until the referee blew the whistle to end the half. It was all square at the break.
Florida finished the first half with three shots, two saves, and two corners. South Carolina finished the half with six shots, zero saves, and four corners. It was an even first half for the majority of the time, despite a few moments of dominance from South Carolina possession wise. It was all to play for in the second half.
The second half began and it was right back to the same intensity.
The Gamecocks earned themselves a corner in three minutes after applying some early pressure. The corner was unsuccessful, but the Gamecocks still managed to get an opportunity with a strike from Amanda Patrick. Her shot drifted left and missed the target.
Florida answered five minutes later with a corner of their own. The corner was unsuccessful, Both teams had early opportunities to open the scoring and couldn’t capitalize.
The next act of this match was a battle for the midfield. Both teams were playing very possessive and wanted to take the game at their pace. This was tough due to the physicality of both teams. They weren’t giving an inch.
South Carolina earned another corner, which was unsuccessful. Florida returned the favor with a corner of their own three minutes later. Both were unsuccessful and the score remained 0-0.
What do you do when the game seems even? You make a substitution and hope someone has a moment of creativity that unlocks something. South Carolina did just that by putting in Emma Bucci and Cuyler Zulauf.
At the 78:05 mark, Zulauf and Bucci created the magic the Gamecocks were looking for. A great pass by Zulauf from the corner found Bucci in a very threatening spot. Bucci kept her composure and put the ball on target bouncing off and beating Goldberg. The Gamecocks opened the scoring and took one step closer to three points.
Florida needed to find a response to the goal quickly if they wanted any chance of getting three points, or even a draw.
Madison Jones decided to take a chance and winded up to take a shot. The ball tracked to the bottom-left corner of Tsaousis’s goal and she makes a save keeping her Gamecocks up with about eight minutes left.
Florida earned a corner shortly after. Out of all the corner kicks, this was the most important for Florida. The ball was swung in and a Florida head couldn’t find it. Florida was quick to regain possession from the corner and allowed an opportunity from Daviana Vaka, but her shot goes right.
Gamecock, Catherine Berry, dribbled inside shielding pressure from the Florida defense. She feints left and dragged the ball past the defender. She took a touch and wrapped the ball around Goldberg finding the bottom-right corner. The Gamecocks doubled their lead with a beautiful moment of skill and finishing with five minutes to go.
South Carolina kept it composed and finished the game calmly. They controlled the majority of the second half and found the three points because of it.
It was a tough game for Florida. It was a very hard fought game from the Gators and to not get any points from it is very frustrating. On the bright side, the Gators took a tough opponent to the last 12 minutes of the match and showed full intensity for 90 minutes.
The Gators return back to Gainesville for a rivalry game against Georgia on Sunday. Currently sitting at 1-3-1 (4 points) in the SEC, It will be a very important point of the season for the Gators as three points and a major momentum swing could be on the table.
After a terrific performance last Friday against a ranked Texas team, Florida midfielder Lauren Donovan was awarded the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Week alongside Mississippi State’s Ally Perry. Both of them were awarded for their performances last week.
After scoring the opening goal and a brace, Donovan impacted the game the most and was the foundation to Florida’s first win this SEC season. She was also the 21st Gator in history to score her first goal and record a brace in the same match.
Donovan was the first Gator to be honored by the SEC this season. She will look to continue her impressive form of play against a 24th ranked South Carolina on Thursday; away from home. She will be an important presence if the Gators want to continue their streak of beating top 25 teams, but most importantly to improve their SEC win streak to two in a row.
Florida took on No. 22 Texas in their first home game during SEC play. The Gators looked to bounce back after a frustrating 2-0 defeat in Missouri last Sunday. The Gators had yet to obtain three points in the SEC season so far, but Friday night brought a great opportunity for the Gators to get that win column filled.
The referee blew her whistle and the first half began. Florida and Texas both fought hard for early possession. Florida ended up with possession and looked to apply some early pressure. The pressure resulted in a corner within the first two minutes.
Vera Blom whipped it in from the corner. The ball curved in and found the head of Lauren Donovan near the front post. Donovan guided her header toward the back post gracefully and beat the Texas goalkeeper. It was Florida’s first SEC goal of the season and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Florida continued to string passes and maintain possession after the goal. They got control right back and found another opportunity to score.
The Florida forwards were playing hot potato with the ball, not letting it touch the ground. The ball didn’t touch the ground until it was in the back of the Texas net, again. In what would have been Florida’s second goal, ended up being ruled offside in the build-up play. Texas almost found themselves in deep trouble.
Texas was being dissected by the passing of Florida. The Gators were playing beautifully weighted passes through the defense and applying pressure through crosses from the wing. The Gators won majority of the 50/50 headers in the midfield and have been moving with a sense of purpose.
The Florida line frustrated the Longhorn attackers with their disciplined high line. The Longhorns had eight offsides calls in the first half and one shot.
At halftime, the Gators had seven shots, four corners, and one goal. Texas had one shot on goal, one corner, and a one goal deficit. The Gators dominate the first half. They were playing the best half of their season, so far. The Gators were aggressive through the full 45 minute half and the Longhorns were hanging on, absorbing the Florida pressure.
The second half started and Texas gained control of the ball right away. The Longhorns came out the break very patient. They took their touches, made simple and progressive passes, and controlled the midfield.
After a tough period of pay, things got even tougher for Florida. A late tackle within the box gives Texas a penalty kick. The Gators could see their one goal lead become erased.
The Texas penalty taker, Lexi Missimo, stepped up and hit the ball right into the left post. The ball ricochet right back to her and she put it in firmly into the corner. The assistant referee raised her flag and cancelled the equalizer. Florida still led 1-0.
Texas had five corner kicks in the first 20 minutes of the half. None of them were successful.
Florida started to regain the momentum with 25 minutes left in the half. A few offensive moves allowed Florida to take some threatening opportunities and build the team some momentum.
At the 24:25 minute mark, Laura Donovan found her self at the edge of the 18-yard box. She took a touch inside and struck the ball with her laces, across the goalkeeper, and into the net to double Florida’s lead. This was Donovan’s second of the match.
The Longhorns picked up their intensity after going down two goals. It was now or never for the Longhorns if they wanted to salvage a point.
At the 77:09 mark, Amalia Villarreal got a chance to put the Longhorns back to a one goal deficit. She took her chance and buried a well struck shot into the bottom corner of the net.
With about 13 minutes left to go, The Gators were playing as defensive as possible.
“We had 5 or even 6 in the box at some points,” said Head Coach Samantha Bohon.
It didn’t matter how many were there because it worked.
The Gators held on to their lead and celebrated as the referee blew her whistle. It was their first win in the SEC this season.
It was a statement victory for the Gators.
“This was due. We’ve been playing really well all season,” said Bohon.
Bohan and her Gators got the job tonight in wonderful fashion. Two great finishes from Donovan and a wonderful defensive performance. The Gators look to continue this momentum into their away game at South Carolina on October 10.
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