Lauren Hyde doesn't want to seem mean, but she has been yelling at her teammates a lot more than in the past.
"During the games there are a lot of situations that can be frustrating, but I try not to be mean because they don't mean to do anything wrong," said Hyde, the lone returning defensive starter. "It is more instructional like 'Hey, next time we need to do this, and let's do this instead.'"
All of her directions have paid off as the defense has been consistently strong for No. 17 UF (3-1-1), as the Gators have not allowed more than one goal to any team this season, including a shutout at No. 7 Florida State.
The worst game for the young Gators defense was the opening match at Colorado. They finished the game in a 1-1 tie but allowed 24 shots (21 in regulation) and six of those were on goal.
While some of the blame can be put on first-game jitters, a lot of the problems were due to the absence of Hyde, the junior was still recovering from off-season surgery to repair a torn planter fascia on the arch of her foot.
"We knew not having her in the beginning would be a tough period for us, so to have her back gives everybody a comfort level that we didn't have without her," UF coach Becky Burleigh said.
Even though she still wasn't ready to start, she came into UF's second game against Florida Atlantic and helped the defense lower the shot total to nine with only three on goal.
Since then Hyde has started every game at center back, and the defense has continued to improve.
Her role as a leader has been no surprise to most of her teammates and coaches, including goalies Katie Fraine and Meghan Berlingo.
Considering Hyde has been a starter since her freshman year and earned a spot on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's All-American third team last season, it's no surprise she's emerged as a leader.
While she is the only defender with all the collegiate awards and accomplishments, the others have stepped in this season to quickly solidify the defense.
Junior Caitlin Howard and freshman Jazmyne Avant have started every game, while the other spot has been a rotation between sophomore Nicky Kit and junior Tricia Townsend.
Townsend has the most previous experience with five starts in 2007 and seven in 2006.
"I really like working with them, we are all trying to learn to communicate with each other," Hyde said.
The young defense hasn't been only concentrating on preventing opponents from getting good scoring chances. They have also been getting involved on offensive attacks for the Gators.
"Our outside backs are almost like outside midfielders," Hyde said. "We are definitely offensive-minded."
It shows on the stat sheet too, as Kit has two assists this season, and Townsend has one.
Although it may appear as the defense is already looking in mid-season form, the young group still has a long way to go to be as good as the group that helped get UF to the Sweet 16 last year.
"There are still some minor mistakes, or young mistakes, that we wouldn't see last year that we have seen this year," Berlingo said. "But they are doing awesome so far."
