The UF soccer team needed to regain respect.
That was the sentiment of the players and coaches last week after appearing vulnerable on a trip to Mississippi, and they made a statement this weekend.
No. 14 Florida (10-4-1, 4-1-1 Southeastern Conference) defeated Auburn (5-6-3, 2-4-0 SEC) on Sunday 4-0, proving it is still a premier team in the conference.
UF also won 2-0 against Alabama on Friday.
"If we wanted to change the way people were thinking about us this year in the SEC, then we really needed to come out and prove to people that we are a force to be reckoned with," UF goalkeeper Katie Fraine said.
UF coach Becky Burleigh said last week the Gators defense needed to improve, and the back line played with more urgency this weekend.
In the two wins, UF outshot its opponents 37-8, and Fraine needed a total of two saves to record two shutouts.
"After last weekend, I'm happy to have a weekend off and watch my team play phenomenally," Fraine said.
Whenever Tigers forwards got inside the Gators' defensive third, the UF back line swarmed to the ball. Auburn only had one good opportunity in the first half, and it actually translated to a Florida goal.
In the 20th minute, Auburn earned a corner kick that was cleared out by the Gators. Midfielder Jessica Eicken sent a long pass to the top of the Tigers' penalty box, connecting with senior Angela Napolitano, who outran two Auburn defenders and shot the ball across the box, putting it in the left side of the net to give Florida a 1-0 lead.
The Gators' failed to maintain momentum after Napolitano's goal as their attack stalled and they were unable to put the Tigers away.
Following UF's win Friday, Burleigh said the team was out of sync. Players sending crosses into the box were often inaccurate, and Florida forwards and midfielders mistimed the ball in the rare occasions a goal could have been scored off a cross.
"It was a carbon copy of Friday's game for us early," Burleigh said.
Auburn's defense was also problematic for Florida, as it put as many as seven players in the box to defend the Gators' attack.
But UF finally sealed the game with an Erika Tymrak goal in the 77th minute.
The freshman corralled a blocked shot at the top of the penalty box, sidestepped a defender and ripped a shot from 15 yards out.
With a 2-0 deficit, Auburn's defense lost all confidence.
Six minutes after her goal, Tymrak recovered the ball in her own defensive third and carried it unmarked to the other side of the field before taking a hard foul just outside the penalty box.
The Gators were awarded a free kick, and senior Lauren Hyde beat goalkeeper Amy Howard to the left from 23 yards out. Hyde has two goals on the year, both coming off free kicks.
Florida capped the game with a goal from midfielder McKenzie Barney, whose shot hit the back of the net as the clock ran out.
"It was a pretty sweet goal because she took it down really well," Burleigh said. "When you can hear (the fans) counting down, that probably adds to the stress."
