At the start of the second half, UF (1-1-1) came out firing, trying to break a nil-nil tie, while Central Florida looked half asleep.
The No. 22 Gators outshot the Knights 13-3 in the second period with five shots on goal compared to one for UCF.
But that one shot was the difference as the Gators were never able to place the ball in the back of the net in the Knights' 1-0 victory Friday night.
While UCF goalie Aline Reis could have made a highlight reel from her saves, UF coach Becky Burleigh says her team has to find a way to finish.
"It's a wake-up call, especially to the younger players, about what the margin of victory and defeat is," Burleigh said.
After a slow first period where the Gators only had two solid chances to score, they ripped off eight shots in the opening 15 minutes of the second half to double their total.
Most of the team's shots were taken by senior Megan Kerns and freshman Tahnai Annis, who took 3 and 4 shots respectively.
Annis might have missed the best chance for the Gators when Ameera Abdullah placed the ball a few yards in front of the goal on the left side in the 33rd minute. Reis got to the pass but was unable to control it, and it fell right to Annis' foot, but she shot it just wide of the target.
All the missed opportunities on offense might have been the reason the Gators lost, but it was a mistake by the stingy defense that allowed the lone goal.
In the 83rd minute, UF defender Caitlin Howard slid in to challenge UCF forward Yvonne George, and although it initially looked as if she had knocked the ball away, George was able to regain possession and broke free for a one-on-one with goalie Katie Fraine.
"I was just thinking try to cut down her space as much as possible, stay low and get ready for the shot," Fraine said. "She picked a corner, she had plenty of time and it was just an unlucky goal for us because we obviously dominated the game, but that sometimes happens in our sport."
Although she gave up a goal and only made one save, Fraine was not tested enough to help Burleigh make a decision toward picking a permanent goalie.
"She played well but it wasn't like she had to much to do, so it's tough to evaluate," Burleigh said.
If the Gators are to have a chance on Sunday when they take on Nebraska, they will need to figure out a way to get over their difficult loss.
Burleigh does not want her team to forget about the game right away though.
"This was a bad loss for us to play like that and lose the game, it's not a good thing," Burleigh said. "We need to get over it by Sunday, but I want us to feel bad about it for the next 24, 48 hours."
