Last weekend the Gators were able to pull off an upset victory over then No. 2 Duke.
This weekend they were tasked with trying to knock off the No. 1 team in the nation in Florida State.
The task proved a too difficult for the Gators, as they were unable to overcome an early Seminole goal and lost 1-0.
The Gators fell behind in the ninth minute when a header from Kristin Grubka found the lower right corner of the net off a long throw-in from Jessica Price.
“[Grubka] was able to just get her head on that ball and it caught me a little off guard,” goalkeeper Taylor Burke said.
Florida had trouble dealing with long throw-ins from Price all night, which created mismatches and confusion.
“It was a little tough,” Burke said. “It’s a weird angle, a weird ball…There were a lot of people around me that I had to deal with, but I was doing my best to come out and be aggressive.”
Despite giving up a goal, Burke had a good night. She was credited with five saves, but it seemed like she had more than that due to stopping a lot of crosses and other balls not considered saves.
“I thought she did a great job dealing with their long throw-ins,” coach Becky Burleigh said. “She had that one great one-on-one save that was the difference in keeping us in the game.”
On offense, the Gators had many opportunities, registering 12 shots, but were unable to convert on any of them.
The closest the Gators came to a goal was early in the second half.
Midfielder Erika Tymrak delivered a pass to fellow midfielder Havana Solaun inside the box. Solaun scored and it appeared the Gators had tied the game.
Seconds later, referees ruled Solaun offside and the goal was disallowed.
“The offside was a bit questionable,” Burleigh said.
Other than the disallowed goal, the Gators had many other opportunities where there were missed passes, players were in the wrong position or the goalkeeper made a good save. All of those factors combined to hold the Gators scoreless.
“We’ve just got to have a bit more composure,” Burleigh said. “We certainly created some awesome chances, so ultimately that final execution was the difference in the game.”
The Gators’ next game, against Florida International University (2-1) on Sunday, will be their first home game in over two weeks.
“It feels good just be at home,” Burke said. “It’s where we play our best, so it should be a good game against FIU on Sunday.”
