Coach Becky Burleigh’s midweek prognosis was spot on. Maybe next time, the Gators will pay attention.
In a wild roller-coaster match that saw multiple blown leads and goals in bunches, No. 8 Florida clung to a 5-3 victory over Vanderbilt in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Orange Beach, Ala., on Thursday.
“We thought we had it, but you can never underestimate a team when it could be their last game of the year,” midfielder McKenzie Barney said. “They fought until the last second, so we had to fight until the last second, too.”
Florida twice blew two-goal leads but held on with a couple of late goals from two of the SEC’s leading scorers.
“We knew they were going to throw everything at us,” Burleigh said. “I tip my hat to Vandy for continuing to play hard the whole match.”
The Gators moved to 6-0 all time against the Commodores in tournament play, yet this match had little resemblance to Florida’s traditional series dominance.
Despite jumping out to a 1-0 advantage midway through the first half, the Gators often played in their own defensive third.
Tahnai Annis, recently named to the All-SEC second team, scored two goals, including the strike that sent the Gators into the semifinals. Barney, who added the insurance goal just two minutes after Annis’ go-ahead score (86th minute), also contributed two goals.
“I loved contributing two goals,” Barney said. “But Tahnai’s goal was so huge. It won us the game.”
The Gators entered halftime with a one-goal lead. And four minutes into the second half Barney scored on a nice hustle play, cleaning up a bobble by Vandy’s goalie. The 2-0 deficit looked too difficult for the Commodores to overcome, as the Gators had surrendered just two or more goals twice all season.
However, less than thirty seconds later Vanderbilt caught Florida napping and cut the lead in half, setting up a wild final 35 minutes of soccer.
Erika Tymrak, a first-team All-SEC selection, nailed a liner from 20 yards out that hit the post and ricocheted in, putting the Gators up 3-1. But that lead was short-lived when goal keeper Katie Fraine let a ball go through her legs.
In the 83rd minute, the Commodores’ perseverance paid off when they tied the game on a shot from about 18 yards away that slipped into the goal past an astonished Fraine.
But Florida never panicked, revealing the composure Burleigh has been preaching all season.
“I thought we showed a lot of resiliency,” Burleigh said. “Just the confidence of our team’s ability to get it done regardless of the score.”
With the win, UF advances to face Georgia in the second round of the SEC Tournament tonight at 8:30.
