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“They were ready to play, and they flat out beat us.”
-Florida Head Coach Billy Napier
For the second straight week, a Florida Gators opponent focused on stopping the run. And for the second straight week, the Gators offense struggled to get in a rhythm as a result.
Kentucky jumped out to a 23-0 first half lead and never looked back. The Wildcats put the ball in RB Ray Davis’ hands and let him do the work.
The grad-transfer from Vanderbilt put together one of the best days on the ground in program history as the Wildcats defeated Florida, 33-14.
Davis rushed for more than 200 yards before the game was twenty minutes in and finished with 280 and four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving).
One, two, three, FOUR all-purpose touchdowns for @Ray_Davis07
The Gators opened the drive with a three and out thanks to a holding penalty on a big third down gain by Montrell Johnson. From there, it was the Ray Davis Show.
A crucial stretch occurred near the end of the first quarter. The Gators, trailing 10-0, forced a Kentucky punt, and were to begin possession near midfield, but a leaping penalty gave the Wildcats a new set of downs. The very next play, Davis went 75 yards for a touchdown.
Head coach Billy Napier said afterward about the penalty, “we just got a young player out there that made a poor decision, and he knows he made a mistake. I do think that was a pivotal moment in the game.”
Trailing big, the Gators finally gained some momentum late in the second quarter. QB Graham Mertz found Hayden Hurst in the end zone for the freshman’s first ever score. Florida added another touchdown in the third quarter when Mertz hit Ricky Pearsall from 33 yards out.
Despite the struggles against the run, the Florida pass defense was terrific. Kentucky QB Devin Leary completed just nine passes for 69 yards. The longest reception of the day went for just twelve yards for the Wildcats.
“Not a lot of positive to talk about today,” said Napier, “hats off to Kentucky and Coach Stoops. They were ready to play, and they flat out beat us.”
Florida returns home and will take on Vanderbilt for Homecoming Saturday. The game is scheduled for 4:00 PM.
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Gators women’s soccer team defeated the LSU Tigers 4-0 on Friday night for their first SEC win of the year. Their record improved to 5-3-3 overall and 1-2-1 in conference play.
The Gators controlled the attack for most of the game, outshooting LSU 16-6. None of the Tigers’ shots were on target. Freshman Megan Hinnenkamp was the leading scorer with a brace. Madison Young and Maddy Pirrello each collected one assist in the match.
Julianne Leskauskas opened the scoring in the 16th minute after the LSU goalkeeper misplayed a back pass just outside of her box. Leskauskas collected the loose ball and scored in an open net.
The Gators scored again in the 22nd minute on a free kick set-piece. Young sent a long ball into the box, which found Hinnenkamp. Hinnenkamp was able to win a header in between an LSU defender and the goalkeeper and proceeded to chip the header over the goalkeeper for the score.
Pirrello found Anna DeLeon in the 68th minute with a cross into the box. DeLeon scored a header going to the far post.
Hinnenkamp secured her brace in the 74th minute after a long shot outside of the box. LSU’s keeper got caught out of position after a Florida clearance found Hinnenkamp just beyond midfield. She took the ball down the field and put the ball in the top corner past the goalie.
Florida goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg earned her sixth clean sheet of the year.
The Gators next matchup will be at home on Thursday, October 5th, against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The game will kick-off at 6 p.m. on SECN+.
Florida travels to Lexington to take on Kentucky in the team’s first road conference game. The Gators enter the contest 3-1 overall and 1-0 in SEC play.
Florida is coming off a lackluster offensive performance against Charlotte while the Wildcats enter Saturday 4-0 and dropped Vanderbilt 45-28 their last time out.
The following are our staff’s predictions for Florida vs Kentucky:
Carson Euverard – The Gators’ offense will return two key starters, center Kingsley Eguakan and wide receiver Eugene Wilson. With these additions, the offense will look to get back on track after a poor performance against Charlotte. Trevor Etienne should be the workhorse this weekend after a relatively quiet game against the 49ers.
Austin Armstrong is letting the defense make plays and the front seven should be able to get pressure on Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary. The Gators should have a bit of an advantage playing a noon game on the road. Florida wins 24-17.
Alyssa Britton-Harr – The No. 22 ranked Gators, I believe, will play heavy against Kentucky on Saturday. Florida has only lost to Kentucky on the road once, and that was two years ago. Florida head coach Billy Napier and Wisconsin transfer quarterback Graham Mertz have only one loss under their belt, and to two-time PAC-12 champions, Utah. Since the start of SEC Play, Florida has the chance to start 2-0, and will be heading into the game with a prominent defense who is ranked nationally No. 5. The work defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong has implemented is working for Florida and benefiting them tremendously. Offensively, Eugene Wilson lll is cleared to play on Saturday which is a huge component to Florida’s offense in running the ball. I believe the Gators will show out after their unpromising win against Charlotte, the ball will be run more and we should see some powerful plays. Florida, 24-10.
Hugh Green – Coming off a somewhat disappointing performance against Charlotte a week ago, the Gators hit the road for the first time since Week 1 to take on Kentucky. Florida dominated this series from 1980-2017. In this stretch, the Gators won 37 out of 38 games, including winning 31 in a row from 1987-2017. However, Kentucky has won the last two matchups between these schools.
This season, Florida has a new identity to them with Graham Mertz at quarterback and Austin Armstrong’s defense. Mertz has been on point so far, completing 78% of his passes, which ranks first in the SEC. He has not gone downfield with the ball often, but he has been accurate with his short and mid-range passes.
On the defensive side, Armstrong and company have given up just 244.8 yards per game, which ranks first in the SEC and fifth in the FBS. Florida has also allowed 15.7 points per game, which is fourth in the conference, behind Georgia (12.7), Alabama (13.5) and Kentucky (15.0).
This is going to be a low scoring game between two stout defenses, but the Gators will edge out the Wildcats in Lexington. Florida, 20-17.
Brian Fox – I’m a big Devin Leary (UK QB) fan, I admit it. I was hoping he’d elect to transfer to UF before ultimately choosing Kentucky. Leary has thrown for over a thousand yards and nine scores, but he’s also thrown five interceptions against some not-so-great competition so far.
Florida DC Austin Armstrong will look to get pressure on Leary to force errant throws.
But what about the Gators offense? Florida will need to find a way to succeed in the red zone with more than just field goals.
This game feels like a toss up and for some reason, I believe it will be a shootout and I don’t know if Florida can keep up offensively. Kentucky 34, Florida 27.
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Florida and Kentucky kick off at noon from Kroger Stadium Saturday. The Gators are a one-point underdog. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The No. 4 ranked Florida Gators were pushed to a fifth set Wednesday night. Although the team had the home court advantage behind them, it wasn’t enough to shield off the performance that the Texas A&M Aggies had in store.
The Gators put on an impressive performance early in set one. They took the first five points of the set to earn a 5-0 lead. Three different Gators sparked the early push tanks to kills by Kennedy Martin, AC Fitzpatrick and Anna Dixon. Senior libero Elli McKissock recorded a dig that moved her to top-five all-time in Florida Volleyball history.
The Aggies then cut the lead to 5-3 until Florida went on another run. After UF grasped a substantial 9-3 lead, Texas A&M seemed to find their rhythm. They had a comeback that was led by Logan Lednicky and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla on the offensive end.
The Aggie’ comeback was good enough to take the lead late in set one 19-18. The two teams would trade points until set one was knotted at 23-23 thanks to a timely kill by Martin. A&M took the very next point until Fitzpatrick was quick to answer back with a kill of her own.
The 24-24 score forced a win-by-two scenario. A kill by Fitzpatrick and an A&M attack error allowed the Gators to defeat the Aggies in the first set 26-24.
In the second set, the roles seemed to be reversed. It was Texas A&M who was putting their talents on display early. After UF fell behind 5-1, it would take a comeback of their own to get back in the set. A Martin ace and a pair of kills from Dixon and Fitzpatrick cut their deficit to 13-11.
Trinity Adams produced an ace for the Gators followed by a massive block by Nnedi Okammor tied the score 18-18. Neither team would gain a lead of more than one until A&M earned the victory in the second set 25-23. A late offensive surge led by three kills from Lednicky carried the team in the set.
Moving to the third set, Martin had an early kill to spark a 2-0 Florida lead before the Aggies knotted the score at 4-4. The Gators took off on a 5-2 run that forced a Texas A&M timeout. The Aggies were able to side out after the break to cut the Florida lead to 9-8.
Fitzpatrick continued to be the offensive leader for the Gators throughout the set. Graduate transfer Kennedy Muff added an ace to Florida’s stat sheet to extend their lead to 11-9. A kill by Sofia Victoria forced another A&M timeout as UF saw their lead grow to four.
Lednicky was once again a force offensively for the Aggies. After carrying the team on her shoulders in the third set, the Gators had an answer with a huge block from Fitzpatrick and Dixon to give Florida a 19-15 edge.
Then, Texas A&M earned three-straight points that caught enough of head coach Mary Wise’s attention to call a Florida timeout. The Gators led 21-19 heading in to the timeout and were able to close out a pivotal third set for a 25-21 victory.
As the Aggies had their backs against the wall in the fourth set, they showed signs of being the more desperate team. Two early kills by Caroline Meuth allowed A&M to lead 8-6. Muff posted her second ace of the night that ignited a Florida team back in the set.
The Gators went on a 3-0 run following Muff’s ace to give UF an 11-8 advantage in set four. A trio of kills from Fitzpatrick, Okammor and Victoria extended the Gator’ lead to 14-10. However, the Aggies refused to go down without a fight.
A 9-3 Texas A&M run catapulted them to a 19-17 lead in the fourth set. The run was led by Brooke Jeffery and Ludnicky as they looked to haul their team to victory. Victoria did everything she could down the stretch, recording three kills late in set four to tie the score 24-24. A&M followed with a two-point run to force a deciding fifth and set.
The final set was a first-to-15 affair. The Gators found themselves in familiar territory after being pushed to a five-setter. UF claimed the first two points of the match after a kill by Victoria and a service ace by Emily Canaan.
The Gators held the lead until the Aggies tied the score 4-4. After the score was knotted, Florida went on a 4-0 run. It was highlighted by an ace by Emily Canaan, and kills from Dixon and Fitzpatrick to give the Gators an 8-5 edge in the fifth set.
As A&M saw their chances of victory slipping away, they displayed an impressive amount of grit. They would even the score at nine apiece with the match coming down to the final points. An attack error from Fitzpatrick gave the Aggies a 10-9 advantage. However, Muff was quick to even the score after answering with a dump over the net that caught the A&M defense off guard.
Florida came up short in executing late in the fifth set. An attack error from Victoria and a service error from McKissock allowed Texas A&M to capitalize in route to 15-13 fifth set win. Setting up a 3-2 victory for the Aggies in the O’Dome.
Martin and Fitzpatrick led the way for the Gators offensively. Martin posted a team-high 16 kills in the match at a .263 clip. Following her in kills was Fitzpatrick with 15 kills while Victoria rounded out the offensive attack with 14 kills.
Defensively, Dixon tallied six blocks on the night. Coming off of SEC Defensive Player of The Week honors, Okammor continued to make her presence felt at the net as she posted five blocks.
Elli McKissock capped off her historic night in the backcourt as she totaled a match-high 19 digs. Muff distributed the ball in impressive fashion at the setter position tallying 42 assists.
The Gators will have to regroup from the loss before hitting the road. The team will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, to battle the Gamecocks on Oct. 1 with first serve slated for 2 p.m.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators women’s soccer team drew with the Kentucky Wildcats, 1-1, in a tight home match Sunday afternoon.
Emily Yaple opened the scoring for the Gators with a long-shot outside of the 18 in the 37th minute. Yaple got the ball around midfield and dribbled just outside the box where she launched a right-footed shot to the far post. It was Yaple’s first goal in her Gator career.
The Gators outshot the Wildcats 11-6. Yaple recorded two shots, Sophie White had two, and Julianne Leskauskas had two. Lena Bailey, Delaney Tauzel, Oakley Rasmussen, Anna Deleon and Megan Hinnekamp all recorded one shot each.
Kentucky tied the game in the 65th minute with a goal from Maya Lacognato. Jordyn Rhodes supplied a low-cross to Lacognato that got through several Gator defenders.
Gator goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg stopped three shots in the match, including a diving save on a Wildcat header.
The Gators will head to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers on Friday, September 29. The game will kick-off at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.
The Florida Gators Volleyball team resumed their SEC schedule Sunday night. After a road victory against Auburn, the Gators returned home to battle conference rival Georgia.
In the opening set of the match, Georgia had the momentum early. Three early kills and block for the Bulldogs helped them gain a 5-1 edge. The early run forced Florida Head Coach Mary Wise to call a timeout.
Florida regrouped from their slow start thanks to a kill by Kennedy Muff and a block by Anna Dixon. The Gators came back to only trail 11-10 after AC Fitzpatrick contributed her first kill of the match. The teams traded points on the scoreboard as Georgia held the lead 18-17.
After a Bulldogs timeout, senior Ellie McKissock came up with clutch back-to-back aces. Then, Kennedy Martin heated up offensively contributing two kills and an ace to help Florida take a 22-20 lead in the first set. The Gators would finish strong after a solo block from Muff and a set point kill by Dixon helped Florida win the first set of the match 25-22.
As the second set began, Florida continued to apply the pressure jumping out to a 3-1 lead. Martin carried the offense tallying multiple kills as they saw their lead grow to 9-6. A blistering kill by Nnedi Okammor allowed the Gators to continue to apply the pressure. Florida’s momentum carried them to a 15-13 lead heading into a media timeout.
After the break, a kill and an ace for Georgia tied the set 16-16. Anna Dixon had a quick answer as she recorded a kill on the following play. A service error by Georgia put the Gators back out in front 18-16. The teams once again went back-and-forth at the end of the set.
Kills by a pair of Bulldogs, Estelle Haugen and Sophie Fischer, gave Georgia a 23-21 edge. A Florida timeout by head coach Mary Wise looked to slow down the Georgia run. However, Estelle added another kill to increase their lead to 24-21 before closing out the second set 25-22.
Heading to the third set, early kills by Okammor and Victoria kept the match tied at 3-3. Georgia would quickly comeback to get back in front 7-5. The Gators seemed to be watching the set slip away after four-straight Georgia points gave them a 12-8 advantage.
A block by Okammor slowed down the Bulldogs roll. Victoria caught fire tallying three-straight kills to cut the Georgia lead to two at 14-12. The Florida run was halted when Kacie Evans came up with a timely kill for Georgia on the very next point.
The teams traded blows until Georgia took a 19-18 advantage. Fitzpatrick posted a kill that brought the home crowd back to life as the third set was tied. Georgia seemed to once again be executing at a higher level down the stretch of the set, forcing a Florida timeout as they trailed 22-19.
The Gators would refuse to go down without a fight in the third set. They battled back to trail 23-22 before Georgia ended the set with an ace on set point.
Georgia continued to apply the pressure as they took control of the fourth set 4-1. Once again, Victoria had the answer for UF, providing back-to-back kills to cut the Georgia lead to one. The Gators would then take advantage of an attack and service error by the Bulldogs to gain an 8-7 edge in the fourth set.
UGA’s errors on the offensive side hindered them throughout the set. Florida was able capitalize on their mistakes to gain a 13-9 lead in set four.
The Gators saw their rhythm come to a halt after three-straight attack errors by Martin and Fitzpatrick. A block by Haugen on the next point gave the Bulldogs a one-point 14-13 lead. As Florida’s backs were against the wall in the match, the score was tied 19-19 as the fourth set progressed.
UF would get an unexpected contributor off the bench when freshman Madi Gravlee came up with a huge block for the Gators to give Florida a 20-19 lead. Two kills by Fitzpatrick and one from Victoria lifted the team as they captured a two-point lead late in the fourth set.
Following a Georgia timeout, Victoria continued her elite performance by tallying two more kills. Her stellar play at the end of the fourth set allowed UF to secure the victory in set four 25-23.
The highly entertaining match would then head to a fifth and final set. The first-to-fifteen would win the match as both teams came out with great energy and passion. Georgia looked sharp early in the set as they grabbed hold of a 3-1 lead.
A block and a kill by UGA’s Fischer allowed them to gain a comfortable 6-2 edge in the final set. The Gators needed answers quickly as they called a timeout to slow down Georgia’s run. Victoria set the tone after the break with a kill that allowed Florida to go on a run that would eventually tie the fifth set 8-8.
In the final moments of the match, it came down to execution. Fitzpatrick was up for the task as she delivered an ace with a vicious topspin serve to give UF an 11-9 lead in the set. Blocks by Victoria and Okammor helped bring the set to match point. Then, Victoria ended the match with a kill on match point that allowed the Gators to win the fifth and final set 15-11.
Offensively, Florida was led by Victoria with a match-high 16 kills at a .302 clip. Martin was next on the kill leader list with 11.
On the defensive side of the net, Okammor posted a team-high 10 blocks in the win. McKissock held down the backcourt as she tallied 15 digs in the match. Her teammate Emily Canaan was just behind McKissock on the stat sheet with 14 digs of her own.
Muff had a solid outing at the server position for the Gators as she dished out a team-high 38 assists in the rivalry win.
The team will continue SEC regular season action as they host Texas A&M Sept. 27. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Florida.
Just prior to the Tennessee game, the Florida Gators’ depth chart listed redshirt sophomore Adam Mihalek as the starting kicker with sophomore Trey Smack receiving kickoff duties.
After a dismal start against the Vols, head coach Billy Napier made the switch to Smack. The move paid off against Charlotte Saturday as the Severna Park, MD native saved the day by knocking down five field goals, including a 54-yard attempt in the second quarter.
The Gators defeated Charlotte, 22-7, but left the game with more questions than answers.
Florida rushed for just 136 yards for an average of 3.8 per carry. Montrell Johnson led the Gators with 63 yards on 16 attempts.
QB Graham Mertz played well, going 20-23 for 259 yards, however, yet again there were no deep shots from the offense.
Mertz was aided in the first quarter by Ricky Pearsall who made an incredible one-handed grab and held on as two defenders crashed into him. The play is one of the most impressive in program history.
But the story of the game was the Gators’ inability to execute in the red zone. Florida scored just once in five trips inside the twenty. Mertz found Arlis Boardingham for a score on the opening drive, but the offense settled for field goals on each other opportunity.
The Florida defense did their job. The 49ers gained just 210 yards of total offense and were limited to less than three yards a carry. Former Gators QB Jalon Jones (dismissed due to sexual assault allegations) was unable to get into a rhythm in the passing game and threw for just 111 yards. Jones added 65 yards on the ground.
Florida will face Kentucky Saturday at noon. The game will be aired on either ESPN or SEC Network.
The Auburn Tigers pushed the Florida Gators to match point in the fifth set Friday night. The fifth set was tied 15-15 in a win-by-two scenario, UF rallied to get two straight points and with the match.
The Gators went into the match remaining the No. 3 ranked team in the nation. Florida captured their fist conference win of the season as SEC action began Friday.
Auburn won the opening set of the match in impressive fashion. Although the Gators found themselves with an early 8-7, Auburn fought back to grab a 13-9 lead. The Tigers never lost that lead for the remainder of the set as they cruised to a 25-20 victory. Kennedy Martin chipped in four kills during set one.
The second set was much more competitive. Florida scratched and clawed for a 26-24 victory. The Gators once saw themselves with a 21-15 deficit in the set. However, the team stayed together to comeback and make the set come down to set point. After they fought all the way back to tie the score 24-24, Florida scored two-straight points secured the set two win 26-24.
In the third set, Auburn once again saw themselves with a lead early. This was a consistent theme throughout the match. After the Gators fell behind 12-7 in the set, they battled back to decrease their deficit to just two. The Tigers then continued to look solid as saw their lead grow back to 21-17. Florida fought back to tie the third set 24-24 until Auburn closed out the set with two-straight points to win 26-24.
Moving to the fourth set, a serving run by Emily Canaan lifted the Gators. The team found themselves in a grove early in the set to gain an 11-7 advantage. Auburn cut the lead down to just one after the score moved to 16-15. Then, the Gators created some distance when their lead grew to 23-16. Leading to a 25-19 win in set four.
The fifth set was a first-to-fifteen scenario. The Gators came out firing on all cylinders in the final set as they settled into a 4-1 lead. Auburn was competitive the entire match and it continued again in the fifth set. The Tigers forced Florida to call a timeout as they came back to take a 10-8 lead. But Sofia Victoria and Martin put the team on their shoulders and led the final push for Florida on their way to a 17-15 win.
Martin led the Gators offensively with 16 kills. AC Fitzpatrick was just behind Martin on the stat sheet with 15 kills. Victoria also contributed an impressive performance posting 13 kills of her own.
Kennedy Muff had her first start of the season at the setter position. After the news broke earlier this week about Alexis Stucky being out for the season, Muff stepped in and performed well. She tallied 46 assists in the team’s victory.
Elli McKissock led the backcourt for the Gators on the defensive end. She led the team in digs with 15 and moved to seventh all time in program history. Martin and Trinity Adams each added 12 kills in the match.
The Gators posted 11 blocks at the net as a team Friday night. Nnedi Okammor produced a season high seven kills for herself in the match.
Florida will be back in action as SEC play continues for the team Sunday afternoon. The team will host Georgia at 7 p.m. at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida. The match will be aired on the SEC Network.
Following an upset win of Tennessee, the Gators are set for an out of conference battle against the Charlotte 49ers of the American Athletic Conference.
The 49ers are 1-2 on the season with their lone win coming against South Carolina State on opening weekend.
The following are our staff’s predictions for Florida vs Charlotte:
Carson Euverard – Even with a few starters out the Gators will win big against the 1-2 49ers. Charlotte gave up 41 points against Georgia State last week so the offense should have no issues moving the ball. Billy Napier will have plenty of opportunities to get the backups some reps in this one. Trevor Etienne should have another big game in the first half and we’ll most likely see freshman Treyaun Webb get carries in the second half. Austin Armstrong’s defense was swarming against the Volunteers and will give the 49ers trouble on offense. Gators win 56-10.
Alyssa Britton-Harr – I believe the Gators coming off back-to-back wins, especially against Tennessee, will continue to have their momentum fired up. Charlotte is a smaller team who has not played well so far into the season with only one win under their belt. Florida will be missing some key players, but the Gators running ball game will allow them to have a quick start and score touchdowns. Graham Mertz has proved himself to be that guy and that he is here in the “swamp” to get the job done. The Gators have been able to come together as a team early into the season, and it will be a huge component to what the rest of the season will look like. Therefore, I believe Coach Napier and the Gators will take the victory this weekend, 37-10.
Hugh Green – After a huge upset win over the Tennessee Volunteers last weekend, Florida welcomes a Charlotte team who is 1-2 so far this season. The Gators will be without a few key guys due to injury including starting center Kingsley Eguakun and wide receivers Eugene Wilson III and Ja’Markis Weston. Florida will also have offensive linemen Damien George, Jr. and Micah Mazzccua and tight end Dante Zanders on the sidelines for the first half as they will serve a suspension from the scuffle at the end of last week’s game.
With these guys out, the Gators might suffer somewhat of a slow start on the offensive side of the ball. However, with the way Trevor Etienne and the Florida running attack looked last week, they are almost guaranteed to have another great game against Charlotte. Etienne rushed for a career high 172 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown that set the tone early.
I am expecting a run-heavy attack from the Gator offense, and the defense to not allow much to a 49ers team who has yet to play a team of this caliber in 2023. Florida should win this game without much trouble in front of another sold out Ben Hill Griffin Stadium crowd. Florida, 47-10.
Brian Fox – The Gators enter the game as a 29-point favorite over the Charlotte 49ers. Charlotte is 1-2 against the spread with the win coming from an 18-point loss to Maryland. Last week, the 49ers lost 41-25 against Georgia State at home. The Gators should be able to move the ball at ease against this inferior opponent. Additionally, the Florida defense should continue their early season hot streak, Florida, 38-10.
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Florida and Charlotte will kick off from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at 7:00 PM. The game will not be broadcast on television, but can be streamed via ESPN+ and SEC Network +.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Florida Gators women’s soccer team dropped their third straight contest with a 2-0 road loss to the Tennessee Volunteers. The Gators record is now 4-3-2.
Final in Knoxville
Goals: 23:48 UT Sizzy Lawton (Jordan Fusco) 61:58 UT Kate Runyon
Tennessee controlled most of the possession during the match, outshooting the Gators 13-8. The Volunteers also had eight corners to Florida’s one.
The Volunteers scored once in each half, with Sizzy Lawton scoring first in the 24th minute. Jordan Fusco gave Lawton the feed at the edge of the box and she put it in the far post past Gator keeper Alexa Goldberg.
Kate Runyon scored in the 62nd minute with an unassisted long-shot just beyond the 18. She took on two Florida defenders and shot it over Goldberg’s head, hitting the crossbar and going in.
Goldberg tallied five saves in the match.
The Gators will look to get back on track at home this Sunday, September 24 against the Kentucky Wildcats. The game will take place on ESPNU and kick-off is slated for 2 p.m.
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