Adriana Leon only needed one goal to get her confidence flowing.
Since the junior forward netted her first score as a Gator — a game-winner in overtime against Auburn on Sept. 16 — she has been shooting feverishly.
“I have a good shot, so I’m going to try to shoot it as much as I can,” Leon said. “I have a pretty good chance of getting the ball in the back of the net.”
Leon scored a goal against Tennessee on Friday and has taken 10 of Florida’s 29 shots in its past two matches.
Despite playing in only seven of the Gators’ 10 games, Leon is second on UF in shots (21) after senior midfielder Erika Tymrak (30).
Coach Becky Burleigh has encouraged Leon to be daring.
“You can’t score if you don’t shoot,” Burleigh said.
“Adriana is a very aggressive player going to goal. She’s a player who’s starting to understand our system more and more the more she’s been with us.”
Leon joined the squad two weeks into the season after competing for Canada at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan.
The transfer from Notre Dame initially struggled to mesh with the offense. Following rough showings against Florida State and FIU, Leon said her touch was off and she was mentally exhausted.
She finally found her groove with a golden goal against Auburn.
“She really wants to get better,” Burleigh said. “It’s a transition from just a different way of playing than what she’s played before. But I think she is very open-minded about it.”
Leon showcased her fancy footwork and creativity in wins against Tennessee on Friday and Georgia on Sunday.
She caught the Volunteers’ defense off-guard in the sixth minute, booting a 20-yard shot that clipped the bottom of the crossbar and bounced into the net.
The goal was Florida’s earliest this season.
“I just saw the open space in front of me and wanted to shoot it,” Leon said after Friday’s match.
Burleigh said Leon finally understands that if she passes the ball to a teammate on the attack, she can eventually get it back.
“To me, if I’m an opposing team, that’s just makes her more dangerous, because you know she can create her own shot,” Burleigh said.
When No. 24 Florida (6-3-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) hosts Ole Miss tonight at 7 and Arkansas on Sunday at 1 p.m., Leon will face familiar challenges.
Tymrak said she expects the Rebels (9-2, 2-2 SEC) and the Razorbacks (4-5-1, 1-2-1 SEC) to utilize a bunker, which is when a defense packs the penalty area in order to reduce the amount of space the opposition has to attack.
Ole Miss has allowed only 10 goals in 11 matches this season, including five shutouts.
With Tymrak (sprained left ankle) and redshirt senior forward McKenzie Barney (swollen right knee) still day-to-day, the attack might rely on Leon this weekend to chisel away at both squads’ prevent-style defenses.
“The thing with a bunker is that you have to break them down somehow,” Tymrak said. “Let’s say we’re passing for a while, they’re going to expect us to make another pass. When [Leon] shoots it out of nowhere, that’s the element of surprise.”
Junior forward Adriana Leon (91) fights for the ball with Tennessee’s Ali Hall (9) during UF’s 2-1 win on Sept. 21 at James G. Pressly Stadium. Despite playing in seven of Florida's 10 games, the junior is second on the team with 21 shots.
