After two achingly close chances at a first career goal during the Gators’ two-game swing in Miami, freshman Tessa Andujar wasn’t going to miss her next opportunity.
On Sunday, the 5-foot-2 forward ended her offensive woes in the opening half of No. 9 Florida’s match against FIU with a perfectly placed shot into the back-right corner of the net.
“I was really happy when I scored, but I was also happy to help the team,” Andujar said. “To get in there and score a goal, it was really fitting.”
The 40th-minute goal sparked an otherwise lackluster start for Florida (2-0-0). The Gators had four offside penalties in the opening half before finally putting the Golden Panthers (0-2-0) away with a second-half strike from senior Tahnai Annis, ensuring the 2-0 win.
Last season’s leading scorer, Annis got on the board for the first time this year courtesy of fellow midfielder Annie Speese’s assist.
Andujar — a San Clemente, Calif., native and U-17 Puerto Rico team member — came off the bench against FIU after starting two days earlier against Miami. In the prior contest, she needed only two minutes on the field to make her presence known with a shot attempt that swung just wide of the goal.
Andujar’s next attempt, which came 33 minutes into the match against the Golden Panthers, fell prey to the stalwart goalkeeping of Kaitlyn Savage (five saves).
“We started off a little rough, but I think we got back into it and just tried to play simple,” Andujar said. “They kind of came out on us hard and then we just got back into it and played well.”
Florida’s attack livened up following Andujar’s game-clinching strike, totaling 12 shots for the game — twice as many as FIU.
“[Andujar’s] goal showed a relentlessness, which is one of the core values of our team,” UF coach Becky Burleigh said. “I thought Tahnai’s goal was a culmination of great passing and combination plays between pretty much everyone on our team.”
Continuing with the early youth movement, Burleigh put freshman keeper Taylor Burke in goal for the first time against FIU after senior Brooke Chancey started Friday.
Both ended with clean sheets, due in large part to Florida’s tough defense on the back line.
“We’ve been focusing on finishing out games and trying to get shutouts whereas last season we would give up goals late in games,” Annis said. “We’re trying to focus on our defense as much as our offense right now.”
With the win, Florida improved to 2-0-0 after downing Miami (1-1-0) in Coral Gables on Friday.
The Gators received a late first-half goal from 2010 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year Taylor Travis followed by a booming 51st-minute long shot by freshman midfielder Havana Solaun to seal a decisive 2-0 victory over the Hurricanes.
The two scorers were Florida’s first subs after a hectic opening 23 minutes, and helped boost UF to its third consecutive season-opening win over Miami.
The 2010 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, forward Taylor Travis scored a goal and notched an assist in Florida’s 2-0 shutout of Miami on Friday.
