In Savannah Jordan, the Gators trust.
When it comes to putting a powerhouse forward against Mississippi (8-1-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference), Jordan will give Florida (7-1-1, 1-0 SEC) more than offensive talent at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium at 8 p.m.
Jordan’s strength in making high-line tackles will be important in limiting Ole Miss senior forwards Rafaelle Souza and Mandy McCalla, who each scored 13 goals scored and accumulated 33 points to lead the SEC last season.
Coach Becky Burleigh said Ole Miss’ midfielders target Souza and McCalla on the field to produce multiple shot opportunities.
“They’re as good as people we’ll see the rest of the year,” Burleigh said. “We have to make sure we know what we’re doing against those two players.”
Souza has been dynamic this season. Her total of 11 goals ties her with two others for the most in the nation in 2013.
McCalla has seven goals and three assists this season.
Jordan, the SEC Freshman of the Week, is one goal shy of Souza after notching her ninth and 10th of the season during Florida’s 3-0 victory against Alabama on Sept. 20.
The freshman forward said the Gators need to continue the style of play that has proven to be effective when Florida faces Ole Miss.
“We just need to stay focused,” Jordan said. “Especially on away trips, it’s hard to play at other teams’ facilities with all the fans against you and the teams against you.”
Ole Miss has momentum coming off a four-game win streak. The Rebels have won four consecutive home matches.
“We’re the type of team to thrive off a hostile environment,” freshman Liz Slattery said. “That just builds more energy for us to go forward and think we’re going to show them up on their turf.”
However, Ole Miss isn’t Florida’s only challenge this weekend.
Florida will make a quick turnaround and spend all of Saturday traveling to Walton Stadium to face Missouri (5-4, 1-0 SEC) on Sunday.
The last time the two teams met, the Gators blanked the Tigers with a 3-0 shutout to advance to the final round of the 2012 SEC Tournament.
Despite Missouri’s unimpressive record, the Tigers have not lost a match on their home turf this season.
“Missouri is always going to play at a pretty frenetic pace and put up a lot of pressure,” Burleigh said. “If we keep the ball a lot and frustrate them in terms of our possession, that bodes well for us.”
This is the first time this season when the Gators play a pair of away matches in one weekend.
“We’ll be out of routine,” Burleigh said.
“It’ll be important to see how well we adapt to that.”
Follow Michelle Provenzano on Twitter @mmprovenzano.
Savannah Jordan shoots on goal during Florida’s 3-0 victory against Alabama on Sept. 20 at James G. Pressly Stadium. The freshman forward leads the Gators with 10 goals this season.
