With their top defender out indefinitely, the Gators have big shoes to fill.
Redshirt senior Kat Williamson suffered a meniscus tear in her right knee during Florida’s match against Florida International on Sept. 2. She had her knee surgically repaired on Wednesday.
“They can’t give me a for-sure answer,” Williamson said. “It depends on how my body heals. Obviously, I would love to come back as soon as possible. I’m going to work towards that.”
Last season, the All-American center back started every match and logged a team-high 2,176 minutes for the Gators. Prior to UF’s match against FIU, she did not sit out a single minute in 2012.
Williamson roamed the sidelines on crutches and with a brace on her right leg as Florida (3-2-1) battled to a 3-2 victory against New Mexico on Sunday.
“It’s a huge loss,” senior Holly King said. “We’re trying everything we can to fill in the hole.”
“We don’t expect one player to come in and be Kat,” coach Becky Burleigh said. “She’s an emotional leader as well as a fifth-year senior with a ton of experience. But I think we can have other players step up in other ways.”
Sophomore Annie Bobbitt is one option. Against the Lobos, she started in place of Williamson and assisted on senior Erika Tymrak’s equalizing goal in the 60th minute to put the game at 2-2.
Bobbitt played for 68 minutes against New Mexico. Before Sunday, she averaged 27.8 minutes in four games and did not see time against North Carolina on Aug. 24.As a freshman, Bobbitt took on a major role at center back after Katie Kadera’s career-ending ACL injury.
Bobbitt appeared alongside Williamson during 17 starts at center, but freshman Christen Westphal has started the most games alongside Williamson this season.
“Whoever steps in is the coaches’ decision,” Bobbitt said. “If that happens to be me, or if that happens to be any of my other teammates, I’ll be cheering somebody.”
Junior Maggie Rodgers is also a candidate to see some time at center back. She appeared mostly at outside back throughout last season but played some minutes at center during the Gators’ 2012 spring schedule.
Rodgers saw her first action of the season Sunday, returning from a left ankle sprain to log 67 minutes off the bench.
“It’s tough, because she hasn’t played and then she’s playing in a position she’s played sparingly,” Burleigh said. “That’ll be something we’ll have to progress with.”
Burleigh hoped sophomore Karina Gutsche would fill Williamson’s spot immediately, but Gutsche suffered a concussion in practice last week after a ball bounced off the crossbar and hit her head. Her status remains day-to-day.
With Southeastern Conference play looming, the coaching staff will likely decide on a starting center back to pair with Westphal by Thursday.
“We have a lot of options of people that can play there,” Burleigh said. “Certainly, we’re just hoping to hold down the fort until Kat gets back. But it’s a critical position for us, because we put a lot of responsibility on that position in terms of communication.
“It’s a big loss, but at the same time, in the end, we’ll have someone who’s gained quite a bit of experience by the time Kat gets back.”
Florida Forward Kathryn(7) Williamson battles for the ball against FIU forward Chelsea Leiva (2) in a 3-0 win on Sept 2.
