Jo Dragotta’s past nine games have been what statistics majors would call an outlier.
In her first three seasons at UF, she accumulated only seven points, all of which came from assists. However, in her last nine games, Dragotta has notched 11 points — all but one coming on goals.
“When I see [my teammates], they’ll say stuff like, ‘Hey, all-star,’” Dragotta said. “It’s all in good fun.”
Coach Becky Burleigh said Dragotta has been an important player on the team for a long time, but the recent flurry of goals has brought more attention to Dragotta than ever before.
“We have always appreciated that Jo has (made) a huge contribution to our team, but it’s kind of neat to see other people starting to realize that,” Burleigh said. “If it takes stats for that to happen, that’s OK, but we knew it all along.”
Dragotta’s offensive outburst has played a key role in the Gators’ current nine-game winning streak. Florida will look to extend that streak to 11 when it faces Alabama and Vanderbilt this weekend.
Dragotta is not the only Gator who has provided a hot foot on offense during the streak. Since coming back from an ankle injury on Oct. 5, senior Erika Tymrak has registered six points on two goals and two assists. Seniors McKenzie Barney and Holly King, junior Adriana Leon and sophomore Havana Solaun have all scored three times during the nine-game run.
The offense is averaging 2.8 goals per game, and has scored three or more goals four times during the streak.
“When you look at our goal scoring, it’s so diverse and spread out,” Burleigh said. “I think that’s a problem for other teams when they play us.”
The offense isn’t the only part of the team that has been hot during the streak. The defense has not allowed more than one goal in the past nine games.
The rock of the Gators defense is 6 feet 1 inch tall and plays in net. Goalkeeper Taylor Burke has excelled during the winning streak, holding opponents to a goals against average of .684.
“We’re just seeing her confidence grow and her getting better and better,” Burleigh said last week.
The last time the Gators won nine straight games was in 2010, when they went on a run that took them through the Southeastern Conference Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament. This year’s team has similar aspirations.
“It’s kind of hard to compare the teams,” Tymrak said. “I’ll tell you this: This is a really special team, and I can tell this team has more mentality, and more drive and passion for it than I’ve ever been a part of.”
