What was supposed to be a successful season for the Gators turned into a repetitive nightmare.
Florida was ranked No. 8 in the preseason, but the quality of the team on paper did not translate to the pitch. The squad constantly dug itself into holes, and it resulted in one of the worst seasons in the program’s 17-year history.
The disappointing campaign came to an end Friday night when No. 2 seed Florida (17-8) fell, 3-2, to UCF (13-4-5) at Pressly Stadium. It was the third straight season UF failed to make it out of the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Florida allowed another early goal, this time in the sixth minute. The Gators were able to tie it at 1 in the 24th minute before falling behind UCF for good in the 34th minute.
“We fought and we also played smart at the same time,” coach Becky Burleigh said. “That’s a big credit to the maturity of our team as we’ve progressed through the season.”
One area UF did not progress in through the year was the early goal.
UCF’s first goal of the game was the sixth one UF allowed in the sixth minute or earlier this season.
Early deficits were also the biggest reason for Florida’s woes against conference opponents, as it fell behind 1-0 in the first half in seven of 11 Southeastern Conference regular-season games. The Gators’ four SEC losses set a team record.
Florida underwhelmed during the second half of the season as it lost three of its last four conference matches. UF went more than a month without scoring three goals in a game before its 3-0 opening-round win against Florida Gulf Coast in the NCAA tournament.
The Gators’ eight regular-season losses were their most since 2002, but despite the struggles, Burleigh still found satisfaction in coaching.
“It was obviously a very disappointing way for us to finish,” Burleigh said. “But in saying that, I told our team at the end that I’ve really enjoyed working with this team since the day we started in August until now.”
One of the few bright spots down the stretch for Florida was senior midfielder Tahnai Annis, who scored five goals in her last five games, including two multi-goal efforts. She was upset to play her last game as a Gator but is confident the team will be just fine without her.
“They’re going to come back and be even stronger next year,” she said.
Coach Becky Burleigh walks off the field after losing to UCF 3-2 on Friday. The loss ended the Gators’ season in the second round of the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row.
