I’m a junior at the University of Florida majoring in Journalism with a specialization in Sports and Media. I fell in love with sports at the age of five and my love for them has only grown since then. Also, I have the cutest golden retriever in the world!
In 2018, the world watched a young, but extremely talented, Gator Volleyball team grow and put on a stunning display of a season. The Gators finished the 2018 campaign at 26-7 and narrowly missed a shot at the National Championship in a heartbreaking 3-1 loss at the hands of BYU in the Regional Semifinal match.
Last season’s opening week featured the Gators taking on the No. 2, No. 3, and No.7 ranked teams in the country in Nebraska and Texas, and Southern California. After opening the season with a beaming 3-1 win over Nebraska, Florida would take losses from both Texas and USC. However, this didn’t stop Mary Wise’s Gators.
The 2019 Florida Volleyball team will open its season up on Friday in Kentucky when they take on 25th ranked Louisville in the Cardinal Classic. In the same competitive fashion as 2018, the next week features a daunting match against No. 1, and the reigning National Champions, Standford on September 4 in Gainesville. Just three days later the Gators travel to Minnesota to take on the No. 3 ranked Golden Gophers.
Florida comes into this season at No. 10 in the preseason rankings, marking the 28th consecutive season the Gators are a preseason top-15 team.
Tough competition seems to only drive this Gator team. After all, to be the best you have to beat the best, right?
The 2018 team was a young team learning and finding its way. However, this year is different. This Gator roster is nearly identical to last season as the squad returns all but two seniors in Allie Monserez and Taelor Kellum to their 2019 campaign. This seasoned Florida team features no freshman, four seniors, and two transfers. Head Coach Mary Wise says that the absence of freshmen in the team allowed them to prepare differently this preseason, such as practicing more than the basics and really refining the team.
Fans are expected to see some gritty games and unmatched fight this season from this experienced Florida team.
The Gators make their 2019 debut this Friday when they face off with Louisville at 7 p.m. in Kentucky.
With seven players who earned Pac-12 awards last year on the roster and one of the best freshmen recruiting classes in the nation, the Southern California Trojans showed why they are one of the nation’s best in front of a crowd of over 3,000 in the Banc of California Stadium, home of LAFC of Major League Soccer.
Florida lost 3-1 to No. 5 USC Thursday in Los Angeles. Despite the Gators having a similar number of shots (12 to 14), they were always the second-best team on the night. UF struggled to carve out good scoring chances, with most of their strikes coming from outside the box.
Summary
After an opening 30 minutes that leaned USC’s way, the Trojans capitalized on a free kick from the left of the Gators box.
Junior forward Tara McKeown pounced on the loose ball around the six yard box from the in-swinging set piece to put USC up 1-0.
After a potential handball in the box by Vanessa Kara went uncalled, the Trojans would draw blood again just six minutes later. Freshman midfielder Savianna Gomez fired off a shot from about twenty yards. Susi Esinoza saved, but parried the ball straight into the path of junior Arlie Jones, who slotted home the rebound to make it 2-0 USC.
Despite being outplayed in the first half, the Gators pierced the Trojan armor just before halftime. Kit Loferski fed the ball to senior midfielder Alex Stubblebine at the top of the box, and she released a shot that sailed into the back of the net, giving Florida hope going into the break.
No. 5 Southern Cal claims 3-1 win over 🐊⚽️ Thursday evening at Banc of California Stadium.
Senior @AlexStubblebine provides UF's goal – the first of her 🐊 career!
However, USC came out in the second half looking like the stronger team once again. In the 59th minute, McKeown scored her fourth of the season and second of the night when she beat Espinoza with a near-post shot from the right side of the box.
The game slowly faded into full time from there, with the Gators having a few off-target attempts until the whistle blew.
Deanne Rose, the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Week, looked industrious on the field but could not last the full 90. She was seen icing her left hamstring at the end of the game.
Outlook
The Gators fall to 2-1 and will face No. 4 UCLA on Sunday. After opening the season with two shutout victories, the Bruins defeated No. 1 Florida State on Thursday to remain undefeated.
The Florida Gators claimed the Sunshine State on opening weekend, but Gators soccer’s ambitions are set on western gold. Florida soccer is plotting to conquer Los Angeles by defeating No. 5 Southern California and No. 4 UCLA this weekend.
Deanne Rose Leads the Gators
After watching the opening week of games for women's #NCAA soccer, we're announcing a starting XI lineup that would send their opponents running in the opposite direction 😈https://t.co/TgYUgPQ1F3
Deanne Rose received awards for two clinical performances during the Gators soccer’s silver anniversary opening weekend. Three goals and one assist were enough to earn her the first SEC Offensive Soccer Player of the Week award and TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week. Coach Becky Burleigh believes Deanne Rose’s experience with Canada’s international team helps the squad. The absences are obviously the only negative side to it.
Florida overcame FAU in its season opener at Boca Raton 3-2 and Rose midst of it. Rose scored an equalizer early in the second half and struck a golden goal to claim Florida’s first win of the regular season.
If that wasn’t enough, the Canadian would play a key role in the Gators win against No. 18 USF just two days later. Rose used her blistering pace to beat the Bulls’ defense in two separate instances in the second half of the match. She served a squared pass for Kit Loverski to score with ease and curled Florida’s second goal past the Bulls’ goalkeeper to seal the match.
High-Caliber Competition
The USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins are two of the most successful NCAA women’s soccer programs.
Southern California
The University of Southern California has reached two NCAA women’s soccer championships in its programs history and clinched both.
The overall record between the Trojans and the Gators is 3-2 in favor of Florida. However, Gators soccer suffered both loses in its last two meeting with the West Coast side. Like the Gators, the Trojans started their season 2-0 defeating Hawai’i and San Francisco.
The Bruins are the Bayern Munich of the NCAA Championship winning one out of five finals.
Nonetheless, the overall record between the Gators and the Bruins stands at 3-4-1 in favor of the LA program. Moreover, Florida was able to tie last season despite an abundance of injuries.
Like Florida, UCLA has a Canadian international player who brings that extra something to the team.
Burleigh’s Approach
Burleigh has been in the program for 25 years now and she knows what these tough matchups early in the season mean to the team and the season ahead.
Florida still has things to work on despite starting its season in a flawless manner. A couple of those things, building play from the back and having more control.
English Duo Get National Call-ups
English duo, Georgia Eaton-Collins, and Ava Kuyken will miss the western action due to national call-ups.
Eaton-Collins, sophomore, joined England’s under-21 squad earlier this week ahead of the annual Nordic Tournament. Meanwhile, Kuyken who was the only freshman in the Gators starting lineup in their season opener joined England’s under-18.
Both players will be back before the game against FSU on September 8.
Games Info
Thursday, Aug. 29 at No. 5 Southern California.
Sunday, Sept. 1 at No. 4 UCLA.
Catch coverage of both games via radio at ESPN 98.1 FM 850 AM and via stream at Pac-12 Network.
As Florida heads into the first of three bye weeks on their 2019 schedule, Dan Mullen met with the press on Wednesday afternoon. The Gators are fresh off of a 24-20 victory over in-state rival Miami. Although there were plenty of ugly moments in Saturday’s inaugural game, Dan Mullen’s squad also displayed many encouraging signs of things to come.
Before Florida can begin to celebrate future glories, however, they must clean up the miscues that took place at Camping World Stadium last Saturday night. The good news? Every one of the problem areas are easily remedied.
The Gators hit the practice field on Monday to begin the process of polishing the rust that was readily displayed in tackling, run-blocking, and ball security. Florida will take a long weekend in observance of Labor Day before getting back to game week preparations next Tuesday.
Until then, it is business as usual for Mullen and the Gators, but the head coach took a few moments to discuss last week’s performance and the plans for moving forward, before hitting the practice field once again.
Mullen was asked about how he assesses each unit’s individual performance when he replied, “The turnovers are a big disappointment. The two fumbles are disappointments to me, obviously, because those are the ones you control. And the last interception. You know? One, I don’t know if it was a great call or not in that situation. You know, so much gets made about it, he’s [Feleipe Franks] getting pressured, looking to throw the ball away. Obviously, a great call by Manny [Diaz], you know? If you talk about, maybe, knowing personalities. We get the ball, we felt like we’ve set them up for this play. We felt they’re going to be ready to stop the run because we’re gonna try to run out the clock. We’re gonna hit them with this play-action pass, the guy’s gonna be wide open, and we hit an explosive play. If that happens, what’s really funny is then, you flip Feleipe’s stats to eighteen of twenty-six for 320 yards passing, three touchdowns, and a pick and ‘he has all the answers.’ You know? ‘What an unbelievable game! Look at his development through the off-season, unbelievable!’
After a brief pause, Mullen continued, “Probably should have taken the sack there. Boy, that’s hard to teach. That’s really hard to teach guys to take sacks. You know, and he’s trying to throw it away and he doesn’t get enough on it and it gets picked. Maybe not a great call by me. All the combinations in that one call.”
Since the game’s end on Saturday, all of the negativity was thrust upon Feleipe Franks, once again. Mullen was asked if he felt that he might have “over sold” Franks’ development in the off-season.
“No, but I think what gets missed, he threw a pick that could’ve been, in the fourth quarter of a game, that could have been the deciding factor of the play,” Mullen stated. “The next time we got the ball, he accounted for every yard on that drive that we scored a touchdown. The game-winning touchdown drive. He accounted for every yard, either running or throwing on the game-winning touchdown drive. I don’t know if Feleipe Franks could’ve done that last year. I think that pick might have affected him, instead of him coming back and not even a blink of the eye he accounted for every play on the scoring drive.”
Turning to the play of the offensive line that so much has been made about in the off-season, Mullen stated that he was encouraged by what they showed against Miami. He went on to say that he wanted to see more efficient running, but pointed out that many of the negative rushing plays had as much to do with the backs behind Lamical Perine, as it did with the progression of a youthful line.
Florida displayed a willingness to go for it on fourth down vs Miami. This willingness paid off each time they attempted to keep the drive alive, and Mullen addressed the thought process behind his aggressive playcalling.
“I think, one, we wanted to take an aggressive approach to the game,” said Mullen. “And two, we knew they were a great third down team, and we wanted to create momentum.”
Mullen went on to explain the situational strategy behind taking risks, saying, if they were looking at third and ten, they probably weren’t going for it on fourth but if it turns into fourth and two or three, then they are much more likely to attempt it.
Florida has several things to clean up before the start of SEC play, but with the bye week and a tune-up game vs UT-Martin, they should have most of the kinks worked out before they meet Kentucky in Lexington.
Junior forward Deanne Rose was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week after a three-goal weekend that helped the Gators start the season with two victories from their first two games.
Her ⚽️⚽️⚽️ weekend earns @deannecynthia_ the first @SEC Offensive Player of the Week award!
In the season opener against Florida Atlantic University, Rose netted twice in Florida’s comeback victory against the Owls.
Rose again shined in Florida’s second game of the season on Sunday, against the No. 18 ranked University of South Florida Bulls. The Canadian international first set up teammate Kit Loferski for the opening goal of the night, then netted one for herself just minutes later.
In one weekend, she has already bested her goal tally from last season. In ten games in 2018, Rose scored two goals and assisted on one more. Her appearances were limited due to commitments to the Canadian national team; she is one of 13 current Division 1 soccer players that was on a 2019 World Cup roster.
In 2016, Rose scored in Canada’s Olympic bronze medal match, which made her the youngest woman to score a goal in Olympic soccer history.
Rose was named to the 2019 SEC Preseason Watch List before the first game of the year. She was on the all-SEC first team in 2017.
Rose and the rest of the Gators will be in action again on Thursday when the team travels to No. 5 UCLA in an attempt to remain undefeated in the young season.
After defeating the Florida Atlantic University Owls in the season opener on Friday, the Gators traveled to the west coast of the state to face the No. 18 ranked University of South Florida Bulls Sunday night.
The last time these teams met was in the NCAA tournament in 2017, when UF defeated the Bulls 1-0. This time around, the Gators again shut-out their opponent, winning 2-0 in a game where Canadian international Deanne Rose and senior goalkeeper Susi Espinoza shined.
🐊⚽️ keeps 🐊 athletics undefeated for the opening weekend of the new season!
Last season, USF was undefeated at home (9-0-0) and began this season with two exhibiton wins before defeating Auburn in their season opener Thursday night.
After a Gator goal from a set piece was ruled offside in the early minutes, USF easily had the better attacking chances in the first half. Goalkeeper Susi Espinoza was regularly called into action, making a few impressive saves.
Through 45 minutes, South Florida outshot the Gators five to two. Unlike FAU in the season opener, the Bulls were content with UF having possession in the first half, but the Gators struggled to create any really good chances.
The second half opened with more Bulls opportunities, as forwards Sydny Nasello and Evelyne Viens were consistently getting into good positions and threatening the Gator goal, but Espinoza refused to be beaten.
Momentum shifted dramatically in the 52′ , when the Gators launched a quick counter-attack through Deanne Rose. She dribbled down the wing, drawing the attention of two Bulls defenders and the goalkeeper. Rose centered the ball to a wide open Kit Loferski, who made an intelligent run to the top of the six yard box and tapped the ball into a practically open net to put the Gators up 1-0.
The action continued in the 56th minute. When Viens failed to convert on a 2-on-1 chance for the Bulls, play shifted to the other side of the field when Rose again was put clean through and curled a shot past USF goalkeeper Katrina Haarmann. Despite having remarkably fewer shots, the Gators were up 2-0.
As the sun set the action picked up. It was all Bulls in the final thirty minutes of the game. Notably, around the 80th minute, a Nasello close-range effort was somehow blocked by a sliding UF defender after a mad scramble in the box, which kicked the ball back out to Nasello, whose follow up effort was saved by Espinoza.
In the end, USF outshot the Gators 20 to 4, but Florida goes home with the victory.
What’s Next for the Gators
The Gators continue their stretch of away games to begin the season in Los Angeles, California on Thursday against the University of Southern California. USC went 17-2-3 last year and are ranked No. 5 in the nation.
Sloppiness saturated the Florida Gators’ play in their 24-20 win over Miami on Saturday.
UF ecked out the victory despite poor tackling, destructive penalties and carelessness with the football.
These mistakes prevented strong showings on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball and resulted in underachieving grades. However, a win over a strong Hurricane team despite numerous blunders is encouraging nonetheless.
Offense: B-
The big question mark for Florida entering Week 0 was how its young offensive line would play against Miami’s experienced front seven. To the delight of the Gator Nation, the offensive line had a decent showing.
UF provided Feleipe Franks with a fortress in pass protection, allowing only one sack and three quarterback hurries on 28 dropbacks. It gave Franks enough time to pass for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Yes, the UF quarterback threw two picks, but both were due to poor passes in a well-formed pocket.
The Florida front five struggled more in the run game, rushing for only 52 yards and allowing six tackles for loss.
Yet, the ground attack was effective enough to keep the Hurricane defense honest. Halfback Lamical Perine rushed for only 42 yards, but he averaged a solid 4.2 yards per carry. Franks also had success in short-yardage situations, picking up a first down and the game-winning touchdown on the ground.
Obviously, the Gators’ grade suffered because of carelessness with the football. Both of UF’s fumbles were unforced and in UM territory. Perine and Franks miscommunicated on a read-option, and Malik Davis played hot potato on a toss play.
Franks’ two interceptions were also self-inflicted.
If Florida takes care of the football, it leaves Orlando with a lopsided win. Instead, the game remained interesting until the end.
Defense: B
The Florida defense couldn’t tackle or force a turnover (UF’s only turnover came on special teams), but it made plays when they counted most.
Miami went 2 for 13 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth, and it didn’t even get into the red zone.
The Florida pass rush — led by Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga — amassed 10 sacks (a few of them due to great coverage and a flustered, freshman quarterback). The Gators added six more tackles behind the line of scrimmage, bringing the tackle-for-loss total to 16.
The defense decided to forget its Pop Warner tackling fundamentals in the open field, especially when trying to bring down UM power back DeeJay Dallas. Dallas had three plays of over 20 yards, including a 50 yard touchdown run where UF tacklers seemed to bounce off of him like children on a trampoline.
Senseless penalties also proved costly for the Gators. Late hits out of bounds and two (almost three) pass interference calls kept the Hurricanes alive on the game’s final drive.
If the defense cleans up its fundamentals and avoids damaging penalties, it could develop into one of the top units in the country.
Special Teams: A-
To put it plain and simple: Florida does not defeat Miami without excellence on special teams.
The Gators executed in nearly every facet of the critical third phase, and it began with Tommy Townsend’s fake punt in the first quarter.
Townsend showed great awareness of the UM punt block, understanding when he had the space to run. On future punts, Townsend waited for his punt coverage to move down the field before booting the ball, allowing little to no chance of a return. All three of his punts landed inside the Hurricanes’ 20, and one was muffed and recovered by senior receiver Van Jefferson.
Townsend’s performance made him one of Florida’s biggest individual factors in its win.
Kicker Evan McPherson made his only field goal attempt, which was set up by the Jefferson recovery.
Florida punt returner Freddie Swain did a decent job as well, fielding three for 19 yards.
The only miscue for UF on special teams was James Houston’s late hit on kicker Bubba Baxa in the fourth quarter. The Hurricanes attempted a fake field goal that was called back for holding; however, Houston clobbered Baxa after he was well out of bounds, extending the drive.
Along with Baxa, Houston brought down the Gators’ special teams grade.
Coaching: C+
This score may seem low for a victory, but almost all of Florida’s sloppy play can be attributed to coaching.
Missed tackles, that’s coaching. Senseless penalties and poor ball security, coaching. PASSING the ball on first down with four minutes left and the lead… definitely coaching.
Seriously, what in the world was Dan Mullen thinking?
I understand wanting to exploit a defense that is overcommitting to stop the run, but understand the circumstance.
Miami had two timeouts, so make it use them. If you try a pass, try a screen. If it’s not there, have Franks pull it down and run or take a sack. Mullen had every reason to trust his punter and defense at this stage of the game.
However, as critical I am of one play, it’s difficult to win a football game, especially in a rivalry as juiced as Florida-Miami. Minds wander and tempers flare, so some things a coach just can’t control.
Mullen and special teams coordinator Greg Knox did an excellent job coaching special teams, and John Hevesy’s work to prepare the inexperienced offensive line was a borderline miracle.
Also, give credit to to UF’s resident Jillian Michaels, strength and conditioning coach Nick Savage, for having those players ready for a 60-minute war.
So while there was a lot of obvious bad, there was plenty of good, earning a plus in front of that C.
Orlando, FL –-Dan Mullen started the 2019 season with a win, but I would imagine that he is less than satisfied with his team’s performance. In coaching terms, “Florida found a way to win.” What this really means is that it was an ugly performance and we narrowly escaped defeat.
Rushing Leaders:
Lamical Perine: 10 CAR 42 YDS
Feleipe Franks: 7 CAR 8 YDS
There were certainly some bright spots in the Gators’ 24-20 win, and they made it apparent who the better team was. Yet despite these glimmers, Florida managed to nimble just about every opportunity they had to put the game away. This includes Miami’s final possession. Florida gave the Canes three extra first downs when they were called for pass interference on fourth down for three consecutive fourth down plays.
Although it felt as if Mullen and company had completely abandoned the running game, their playcalling was actually dead even with twenty-seven running plays and as many passing attempts. For all the expectation surrounding the Gators’ talented backfield, they were effectively shut down on Saturday night, totalling a meager 52 yards.
Passing:
Feleipe Franks: 17/27 254 YD 2 TD 2 INT
Lamical Perine had the lion’s share of the carries and the total yards. This was expected of the lead back, and while 4.2 yards per carry isn’t awful, it doesn’t quite measure up to what we have become accustomed to with Perine.
So it was the first game and it was against a major rival, mistakes are expected. What did the Gators do right?
Receiving Leaders:
Josh Hammond: 4 REC 93 YRS
Kadarius Toney: 1 REC 66 YDS 1 TD
Feleipe Franks connected on seventeen of twenty-seven attempts with a pair of touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also threw two interceptions. However, this is the portion of the article where we focus on the good so, I digress.
Josh Hammond was lights out for the Gators, as he often is, but still flies under the radar. He led all Gators’ receivers in both receptions and yards with 4 and 93, respectively. His long of 65 yards was bested only by Kadarius Toney’s 66 yard touchdown.
Speaking of Kadarius Toney, early on it appeared that he was going to be a big part of Florida’s gameplan, but as the game progresses, he was mostly relegated to blocking duties. His development as a well-rounded player was noticeable on Saturday, despite limited touches.
On the defensive side of the ball, Florida was relentless in their pressure, combining for ten sacks. Where I would like to see them improve is tackling fundamentals. Too many guys were attempting to make arm tackles. Knowing Todd Grantham, this will be remedied very quickly.
The Gators are still a work in progress. There is much to improve, but there is a ton of talent to build on. Much like last season, I expect to see a newer and better version of this team every Saturday. Despite the ugly way in which it was achieved, Florida got the win tonight and all of their goals remain in front of them.
The Florida Gators began their 25th season of women’s soccer in south Florida against last season’s Conference-USA title holders, the Florida Atlantic University Owls.
The Gators were looking to bounce back from a poor last season that was marred by injuries. Florida finished 7-10-4 in the SEC, good enough for eighth, which was their lowest finish since 2000.
Despite being the only non-ranked opponent UF faces in their first five games, the Owls are not pushovers. The last two times these teams met in Boca Raton, the Gators could not claim victory until overtime, winning 1-0 in 2017 and 2-1 in 2008.
The Owls again pushed the Gators passed ninety minutes in what was a tough test for both teams.
FAU began the game defending aggressively and pinned the Gators to their own side of the field for much of the first fifteen minutes of the game. The Owls were winning the ball high up the pitch often and looking for senior forward Elisha Holmes up top.
The Owls pressure finally paid when in the 18th minute senior Pernille Velta got on the end of a knocked down ball in the Gator half, dribbled past the UF defense, and slotted a low shot into the back of the net past Susi Espinoza.
The Gators slowly played themselves into the game as the half went on but could not get on the score sheet. Deanne Rose had Florida’s best chance of the first half when she was put through on the left side of the field and forced a save from the FAU keeper.
At the half the University of Florida had three shots to FAU’s four, while both teams had two on target.
Both teams were greeted with a hefty helping of rain and lightning just minutes into the second half, which caused about a forty-five minute weather delay. After play resumed, UF looked the better team. The Gators had more chances and converted on one when Deanne Rose successfully found the back of the net in the 55th minute.
Sophomore Cassidy Lindley broke the deadlock with a laser of a long shot in the 74th minute from about 35 yards out, putting Florida up 1-2.
The Gators tried to see the game out by maintaining possession, but just two minutes from full time FAU senior midfielder Mary O’Hara leveled the game at two with a leaping header into the bottom right corner of the net, assisted by Tiril Haga.
The teams headed to overtime knotted at two goals apiece. The rain soaked onlookers did not have to wait long for the already-extended game to end, as Rose tapped in a cross from Lindley in the 95th minute to give the Gators a winning golden goal.
Stats
UF finished the game with eleven shots, seven on target, while FAU had ten with six on target. Both teams had four saves, seven corners, and two offsides calls.
Coach Becky Burleigh stunned the soccer community in 1995 when she arrived at the University of Florida to coach its brand new soccer program. Burleigh has accumulated 414 wins, 112 loses and 36 ties in her 25-year spell as Florida soccer’s only head coach. Gators soccer will open-up their 2019 season on the road versus two in-state rivals.
🐊⚽️ Silver Anniversary season officially begins tomorrow but the celebration 🎉 lasts throughout the 2⃣0⃣1⃣9⃣ campaign!@nicolereighter of @GatorVisionTV takes a look at some of the many 🐊⚽️ memorable moments created over past seasons and hear thoughts from some current 🐊s pic.twitter.com/5V7lmajKnl
The 2019 Florida team will face Florida Atlantic University in its season-opening match for the second time in three years.
Florida had to fight for hard for a 1-0 win in overtime against FAU on the 2017 opening match in Boca Raton. The Gators found a better result in 2018 when both teams met on opening weekend in Gainesville. The result was a 4-2 win where three current Gators, Cassidy Lindley, Madison Alexander and Sammie Betters, got their names in the scoring sheet.
The Gators have never lost to the Owls (6-0-1) and have outscored them 20-3 in the process. Nevertheless, UF has struggled to win at Boca Raton twice before, winning both games by minimal difference.
Kick-off is set for Friday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. You can catch coverage of the game at WRUF or stream video via CUSA TV.
@GatorsSoccer will travel south to Boca Raton to take on @FAUWomensSoccer on their first game of the 2019 @NCAASoccer season.
Florida soccer history with USF is almost identical to its history with FAU.
The Gators have never lost a game against Bulls (5-0-1) outscoring them 15-2. Florida failed to win in its only visit to Tampa by drawing 1-1 in 2013, however, Florida secured a 1-0 win in it’s last game against USF in 2017.
The game will begin on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 6 p.m. You can catch coverage of the game at WRUF or stream video via USF Athletics YouTube.
Freshmen and Transfers
After a 2018 season filled with injury woes and seniors who have now departed, it was Burleigh’s time to renovate the team and she delivered. Ten freshmen and two transfer players have been added to Florida’s roster.
Madeline Gravante and Vanessa Kara are Florida’s two transfer players. Both player are versatile with the ability to play in the midfield or as forwards. Gravanta, sophomore, was one of two to start every game for the 2018 Pittsburg Panthers. On the other hand, Kara, senior, is a more experienced player who through her three seasons at Drexel scored 22 career goals (No. 2 in career goals for Drexel) and assisted 11 times. She was out for the 2018 season due to injury.
The list of freshmen includes Laney Steed, Ava Kuyken, Nicole Vernis, Lauren Durbin, Kouri Peace, Cameron Hall, Syd Kennedy, Francesca Faraci, Alivia Gonzalez and Alexia Fotopoulos, daughter of Danielle Fotopoulos. Alexia Fotopoulos became the first daughter of a Gators soccer alumna to play for the program. Danielle Fotopoulos scored the game winning goal versus North Carolina in 1998 to win the NCAA women’s soccer championship and was Burleigh’s assistant coach in 2006.
Deanne Rose Availability
Rose featured in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France during the summer representing her home country, Canada. The Alliston, Ontario native missed 12 out of Florida’s 22 games last season due to her commitment to the Canadian national team. I asked Burleigh regarding Rose’s availability this season and this is what she had to say.
More than ten games are expected from Rose this season.
New Leadership Approach
Coach Burleigh has chosen not to assign captains this season, but she will be assigning captains each game. She said that she’s been getting leadership contributions from a variety of players in the team during media day on Wednesday.
Players With Active Summers
Several Gators spent part of their summers on the pitch. A couple went abroad to represent their countries while others remained on the mainland to prepare for this season.
Deanne Rose – FIFA Women’s World Cup:
Rose represented Canada in the FIFA Women’s World Cup during the summer in France. Even though Rose was across the Atlantic, she wasn’t able to escape the Sunshine state’s heat on June 10. She was subbed in the 75th minute of the first group stage match against Cameroon in Montpellier. The temperature reached the eighties but Rose kept her cool during the last 18 minutes of the encounter helping the Canadians keep a clean sheet and win its first game of the tournament.
Georgia Eaton-Collins – UEFA Women’s Under-19 Finals:
Sophomore Eaton-Collins featured for England’s u-19 team in the 2019 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Finals. England’s journey came to an end prematurely after losing its first two games against runner-ups, Germany, and Spain. The Lionesses secured three points in their third and final group stage match against Belgium.
Parker Roberts – Asheville City FC:
Roberts only played six out of 22 games in the 2018 season due to a Jones fracture on her foot. Once healed, Roberts joined Asheville City FC, an amateur soccer team based in Asheville, North Carolina. The Leawood, Kansas native spent her summer practicing and playing in the small town of 3,000 residents. Parker can’t wait to step on the field today.
Tess Sapone – Washington Spirit Reserves:
Sapone’s warm-up ahead of the NCAA 2019 season consisted of practicing and playing with WPSL’s Washington Spirit reserve team. Good experience and warmup for the senior ahead of her last season with the Gators.
Madison Alexander – Chicago Red Stars Reserves:
Alexander spent her summer playing for the Chicago Red Stars reserve team, another WPSL team. She played nine matches in a course of just over one month and scored two goals in the process. Expect her to be sharp and ready on this opening weekend.
Haillie Lower – Mississippi Blue FC:
The senior from Tampa spent her off-season at WSPL’s Mississippi Blues SC.
Alyssa Howell – Florida SOL FC:
Howell trained with the Florida Sol FC located in Clay County. UF alumnae, Lauren Silver and Havana Solaun who represented Jamaica in the FIFA Women’s World Cup also played in this club.
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