Until Sunday, Lauren Smith had never played center back in her life.
But with starter Annie Bobbitt out with a knee sprain and the Gators up 4-0 on Vanderbilt, coach Becky Burleigh decided to try Smith at the position.
“I kind of had to second take,” Smith said. “I didn’t know if she was talking to me. I was pretty shocked.”
Said Burleigh: “She did a really remarkable job, considering she had never played there before.”
Due to injuries to Bobbitt and All-America redshirt senior Kat Williamson, little-used players such as Smith will likely get a majority of the minutes at center back when Florida plays South Carolina on Thursday. A win for the Gators clinches the Southeastern Conference regular-season title.
Florida’s woes at center back began when Williamson left the team’s match against Florida International with a torn right meniscus on Sept. 2.
Before suffering her injury, Williamson had started 78 games in her career at Florida.
Following Williamson’s injury, the bulk of her playing time fell to Bobbitt, who has made 10 starts this year. Bobbitt left due to injury after playing 22 minutes in the Gators’ loss to Alabama on Friday.
“A lot of communication that Bobbitt offers is going to be a big loss for us,” goalkeeper Taylor Burke said.
With Bobbitt out, Burleigh said she will likely play a mix of players alongside freshman Christen Westphal on the back line. Westphal has started all but one game this season.
Against the Commodores on Sunday, sophomore Karina Gutsche started in Bobbitt’s place. She was one of only two players who played more than 70 minutes in the blowout victory.
“Karina is a beast on defense,” Burleigh said.
“She takes it personally, and she goes hard on every tackle. I would not want to play against her.”
Gutsche has played in 10 of the Gators’ 18 games this year, but has made only three starts. She missed time early in the season after suffering a concussion when a ball deflected off the crossbar and hit her in the head during practice.
Like Smith, Gutsche is listed as a midfielder on Florida’s roster. But, unlike Smith, Gutsche has experience at center back.
“I’ve played it in practice, and our practices are very game-like,” Gutsche said. “It wasn’t very much of an adjustment.”
Luckily for Florida, reinforcements may soon be on the way. Burleigh said Bobbitt’s sprain was minor, and she could be back soon if her swelling and range of motion improve. Burleigh also said the Gators could be receiving an All-America boost in the near future.
“We’re hoping to have [Williamson] for postseason, for sure,” Burleigh said. “It’s just a matter of when.”
Florida center back Kat Williamson fights for the ball against FIU on Sept. 7. Williamson suffered a torn right meniscus during the game.
