It's not often that losing seniors is seen as a good thing.
Most college programs consider their senior leadership the core of the team.
Apparently, the UF soccer team isn't one of those programs. The Gators lost eight seniors from the team that reached the Round of 16 last season. That group was as decorated as any class to ever play at UF.
But this season, the loss of that leadership has sparked the Gators to a 19-3-1 record, and UF became the first team to go undefeated in Southeastern Conference play.
"There are some comparisons (between the last two incarnations of the Gators)," midfielder Ashlee Elliott said. "But I feel like there were so many seniors that they tried to take it upon themselves. This year, we're trying to do it together. The seniors (last year) wanted to take it on their shoulders. On this team, everyone wants to take it on their shoulders."
Before I go any further, allow me to say that the current team isn't taking any potshots on departed seniors like Stacy Bishop, Ashley Harris and KeLeigh Hudson. It's that there is a different, more youthful dynamic to the team.
The Gators feature 16 freshmen this year, which is the most since coach Becky Burleigh's first season in 1995.
Interestingly, despite the youth that is sprinkled throughout the team, UF didn't view this as a rebuilding season.
UF soccer lives by the mantra, "We don't rebuild, we reload."
"This year, our goals were to win the SEC and go beyond where we did last year in the Sweet 16," Burleigh said.
So, there's no surprise in the success that you've had this season?
"Well, I don't know about the manner in which we won the SEC in going undefeated, that was probably more than we expected," Burleigh said. "But being at this point (in) the NCAA Tournament, that's where we were shooting to be."
The other interesting nugget is that Burleigh hasn't had to be as hands-on with this team as one would expect.
"Much less than I expected to be, I thought I'd have to be more," Burleigh said. "I think that's a direct tribute to the older players taking charge in leadership."
Unlike their younger counterparts, the older players have memories they may be burdened with. The Gators have lost in the Round of 16 in each of the past two seasons, and that isn't lost on them.
"We don't want to be the team that loses in the Sweet 16 every year," defender Lauren Hyde said.
The Gators have an advantage their predecessors didn't. They'll be playing at home this time, rather than traveling to Los Angeles like they did the two years before.
"The trips to California did take their toll on our bodies," Elliott said. "I feel like now that we're staying at home and have the home field advantage, we're going to have an edge against Texas A&M."
The type of edge those seniors before them didn't have. And they got there together.
