Annie Speese’s first goal of the season was impressive.
The junior midfielder took a free kick following an LSU foul in its attacking third and curved a shot past a wall of defenders from 20 yards out.
Speese’s goal, which came in the 62nd minute, finalized the Gators’ second consecutive 3-0 shutout.
“Getting that goal kind of just took a little bit of pressure off of me,” Speese said. “Obviously, one of my roles on the team is to contribute with scoring goals and having not been able to do that in the start of the season was a little frustrating.”
Speese has been an offensive weapon since her freshman season in 2011. She scored eight goals her debut season — one was a game-winning goal — before tallying six more as sophomore.
As a junior, Speese has spent more time getting teammates involved. In 16 games, she has six assists — three shy of her career high in a season. She led UF with nine assists in 2011.
Coach Becky Burleigh said Speese’s free-kick ability could prove helpful against physical opponents.
“If a team wants to stop us by fouling us, then we need to be dangerous,” Burleigh said. “With the people who do take free kicks, when they’re dangerous, teams have to think twice about using that as a strategy. Annie has been really good at practice with free kicks, so I was really happy to see her score because she has put a lot of work into becoming better at that.”
Speese’s free-kick prowess is nothing new. She scored on a 23-yard free kick in a loss to UCF in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
The junior also dabbles with bicycle kicks, but those are for her own entertainment.
“That’s more just messing around,” Speese said.
“We definitely promote creativity in the way that we play, so you never know what could happen in the attacking third.”
Florida travels to play Tennessee on Friday night before returning to face Texas A&M at home Sunday. With just three matches remaining in the regular season, Speese knows she and the Gators must take advantage of every opportunity they are given — especially on the road.
“We know Tennessee is fighting to get in the tournament, so we know they’re going to give us a really tough game,” she said. “They always do.”
Follow Michelle Provenzano on Twitter @mmprovenzano.
Annie Speese dribbles the ball during Florida’s 3-0 victory against LSU on Sunday afternoon at James G. Pressly Stadium. The junior midfielder scored from a free kick during the 62nd minute — her first goal of the 2013 season.
