Erika Tymrak knew just what to do in the first period of extra time.
As she raced by a Duke defender and stormed into the attacking third, Tymrak saw redshirt senior forward McKenzie Barney wide open. Tymrak slipped the ball to Barney and told her to run towards the box.
Barney then gave Tymrak a perfect feed and an opportunity to defeat last year’s national championship runner-up and seal UF’s first win of the season.
Off a give-and-go, Tymrak sunk a golden goal in the lower left corner of the net in the 93rd minute to help the Gators (1-1-1) climb out of a two-goal deficit and stun No. 2 Duke (2-1-0) 3-2 in overtime Sunday afternoon.
The goal was the first of 2012 for the senior midfielder.
“She literally put it right on my foot,” Tymrak said. “I don’t really remember much of it, because I was still in the moment. I kicked it, and it might have deflected off of someone, but it went in.”
Sunday’s match, which took place at the Carolina Nike Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C., was UF’s second to reach extra time on the weekend.
Florida and No. 14 North Carolina played to a scoreless double-overtime draw Friday night.
“We went into [Sunday’s] game with a big chip on our shoulder,” coach Becky Burleigh said.
“It was a good chance for us to get a little redemption from the way we started the season.”
The Blue Devils struck first in the ninth minute when Gilda Doria buried a 20-yard shot into the lower right corner of the net. After Duke’s Cassie Pecht retrieved a loose ball and scored in the 29th minute, the Gators were in an early 2-0 hole.
Unlike in their season opener, in which they fell behind 3-0 to Miami at the half and eventually lost 4-1, the Gators didn’t panic.
“We were pretty relaxed,” Tymrak said. “We looked at each other, and we had confidence.”
In the 39th minute, UF answered as sophomore forward Jillian Graff booted a goal from 15 yards out. Sophomore midfielder Havana Solaun earned the assist on the play.
“Once that goal went in, everyone got pumped up,” Graff said. “Their emotions were high. We were able to execute more.”
The Gators tied up the score in the second half, when a cross sent by Tymrak deflected off the back of a Duke defender. The 64th-minute score was deemed an own goal.
“Coach is always telling me ‘Drill it in. It’s going to hit off someone,’” Tymrak said.
Before the Gators finished off the Blue Devils in extra time, they had a chance to close it out in the 85th minute.
Senior midfielder Holly King scored off a pass from Tymrak, but an offside call erased the play.
“I would like to see the one they called back, because that was so well executed,” Burleigh said.
Florida finally found its offensive rhythm on Sunday, racking up 10 shots, including four on goal.
Against UNC, the Gators tallied their lone shot on goal in extra time.
Sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Burke finished with five saves against Duke.
After defeating the team that knocked them out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2010, the Gators leave Chapel Hill, N.C., with a huge confidence boost.
“Everyone on this team knew that we’re a really good team,” Burleigh said. “And we just had to go out and prove it.”
