Although Pamela Begic tried to spark a rally for UF in the second half, Florida could not come back against Missouri.
Despite maintaining possession and earning seven corner kicks in the second half, the No. 7 Gators fell 1-0 to the Tigers on Sunday.
Begic tried to execute a finish for Florida on five of its 12 shot opportunities in the second half. Of those five shots, the freshman midfielder took three using her head.
The Gators have scored twice on Begic headers this year.
Coach Becky Burleigh was pleased with the process despite the poor results.
“We did everything but the final goal. We did everything but execute that final shot on goal in the second half,” Burleigh said. “Soccer is a cruel game sometimes.”
Florida (8-2-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) had two potential goals in its grasp. One was a header from Begic that hit the crossbar, and the other came from a shot by defender Lauren Silver that hit the post.
Despite Florida’s energy in the second half, Missouri made the difference early.
The Tigers’ (6-5, 2-1 SEC) first-half pressure frazzled Florida’s back line after eight minutes.
Mizzou midfielder Kaysie Clark sank a shot into the left corner of the net.
Goalkeeper Nora Neset Gjoen cut to the right and exposed the left side of goal, allowing Clark to take advantage.
The victory gives the Tigers their first win against a top-10 opponent since defeating No. 7 Ohio State 1-0 on Aug. 26, 2011.
“We got off to a very slow start,” Burleigh said. “We got behind early and probably should have been behind more than one early.”
After Clark’s goal, Mizzou took five shots — one coming from a penalty kick — but was held scoreless.
This season, Florida has been consistently stronger in the second half, outscoring opponents 14-1. But the Gators could not find the elusive goal on Sunday.
Florida’s loss is its first in conference play this season. UF comes home with split results after winning 4-1 against Mississippi on Friday.
This is the first time Florida failed to recover from a deficit since its 3-0 loss against Florida State on August 30.
“For us, it’s a preparation issue,” Burleigh said. “We knew exactly what to expect with this team, and I think we were mentally prepared to deal with it. We weren’t able to get our mind around what we had to do for probably the first 25 minutes.”
Follow Michelle Provenzano on Twitter @mmprovenzano.
Pamela Begic battles for the ball during Florida’s 2-0 win against Oklahoma State on Sept. 8 at James G. Pressly Stadium.
