The Gators have struggled all season when playing from behind. On Friday night, it finally cost them their season.
No. 2 seed Florida (17-8) failed to advance past the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year as it was upset by UCF (13-4-5), 3-2, at Pressly Stadium.
“They left it all out on the field tonight,” Gators coach Becky Burleigh said of her team’s performance.
Though Florida’s season ended in a familiar way, the game did not end without controversy.
Up 2-1 in the 72nd minute, Knights forward Nicolette Radovcic slipped behind the Gators’ defense off a pass from midfielder Stacie Hubbard at the start of the attacking third. Radovcic made a move on keeper Taylor Burke and scored in the empty net from 5 yards out.
Both Burke and Burleigh received yellow cards for arguing Radovcic was offside.
“The third goal changed the complexion of the game tremendously,” Burleigh said of the game-winning goal. “At that point it should have been tied 2-2.”
Florida was able to fight back as junior midfielder Erika Tymrak was fouled just outside the right side of the box in the 85th minute. Freshman midfielder Annie Speese buried the ensuing free kick in the bottom right corner of the net from 23 yards out.
In the 6th minute, the Knights got the early goal that has plagued the Gators repeatedly this season. Forward Tishia Jewell took a free kick from the left side of the box. Midfielder Madison Barney, the sister of injured UF midfielder McKenzie Barney, was able to put the ensuing rebound in the back of the net from 6 yards out.
Florida did not trail for long as Tymrak made a run deep into UCF territory in the 15th minute. She crossed the ball from the left side of the box to senior midfielder Tahnai Annis, who headed it into the upper right corner of the net from 3 yards away. It was Annis’ third goal off of a header in the last two games.
“I knew when the time was right [Tymrak] would find the opening and she did,” Annis said. “I was just waiting at the far post to head it in.”
While the Gators fell behind again, Burleigh was proud of how the team battled.
“Even with the 3-1 [deficit], I thought we were going to get a third goal and go into overtime,” Burleigh said. “Not only did we continue to fight when it was late, but we had a lot of reasons to lose our composure in that game and we didn’t.”
Annis fought back tears while reflecting on her teammates and her final game as a Gator.
She said: “I love my team and if we were going to go down and lose, then I’m glad that I could lose with them.”
