Lindsay Thompson never lost confidence. She never complained and never lost the will to lead Florida’s attack.
The junior forward is relishing her recent opportunities.
A season removed from leading the Gators with 10 goals, Thompson struggled to find her rhythm early this year. Despite returning as a veteran on a young No. 12 UF (12-2-2, 6-1-1 Southeastern Conference) team, the striker started just four of the first 14 games and couldn’t find her scoring touch for much of the season.
Thompson didn’t register a goal until the fifth game, and she’ll get a chance to add to her tally at LSU (6-6-4, 3-2-3 SEC) tonight at 8.
But Thompson never hung her head or moaned to coaches about her diminished playing time. As a team leader, she demonstrated an optimistic attitude by showing up early to practice for extra work.
“I never tried to get my head down. I always tried to stay positive,” she said. “Sometimes you get less lucky, but you just have to keep trying. I never lost confidence in myself.”
Thompson’s perseverance paid off this past weekend when she was rewarded with her first start in nearly a month. The forward responded with a two-goal explosion at Tennessee’s expense.
On Sunday, Thompson was in the starting lineup again, a back-to-back occurrence for the first time since the first two games of the season, and she played 90 minutes on her way to the game-winning assist in overtime.
“Last weekend was a breakthrough weekend for her,” coach Becky Burleigh said. “Hopefully she can continue [her recent strong play] because she brings a different look to our offense than any of our other players.
That distinction Burleigh referred to is Thompson’s muscle and physicality. While Florida has a lot of players who dance with the ball and are, as Thompson says, “ballerinas out there,” she is a more direct player. The junior uses her strong body and potent shot to beat defenses.
Burleigh said Thompson’s play makes Florida’s offense harder to defend.
With four goals in October, Thompson appears to be peaking just at the right time for the Gators. With her back in the fold, UF employs five viable scoring threats up top.
“In order to be a good striker, you have to have no conscience and put past failures behind you,” Burleigh said. “You have to be willing to continue shooting and continue plugging away until that breakthrough comes, and I think that’s what she’s done.”
