The change of scenery could not help the Gators shake their second- and third-round curse.
For the past 10 years, Florida has failed to make it past the Sweet 16.
But in a difficult NCAA second-round matchup, No. 2 seed Florida fell 1-0 to Duke in Durham, N.C., on Friday night.
“It was a really tough second-round matchup,” coach Becky Burleigh said. “We knew they were going to be tough, and they were, but I really felt like we outplayed them.
“I think we really took it to them and left it all on the field. I’m really proud of this team.”
The first half went by in a battle for possession.
Duke came out with a shot in the fifth minute, but it couldn’t find the net.
Florida responded by taking two shots in Duke’s half, and the Gators tried to make something happen off three corner kick opportunities, but it was no good.
Duke earned its first corner kick on the brink of the 21st minute and played Florida’s weakness on the set piece to its advantage.
Senior forward Mollie Pathman took the kick for the Blue Devils and sent it to the far post.
Junior forward Kim DeCesare headed the ball from the post, finding the foot of senior defender Natasha Anasi.
Anasi lobbed in the shot as junior goalkeeper Taylor Burke went for the dive, but Burke was too late.
The ball went into the left corner to give Duke (9-8-5, 5-5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) the 1-0 lead and ultimately, the win.
“The corner kick was well executed by Duke,” Burleigh said. “It was a good ball served in back post, they played the second ball back across, and the girl buried it. They did a good job finishing that goal.”
The second half had its potential, as the Gators went on to outshoot the Blue Devils 7-3.
Freshman forward Savannah Jordan could only find her way around Duke’s defenders to make three shots on the night, with two on frame, but the No. 2 goal-scorer in the nation didn’t have much luck off her foot to send any into the back of the net.
Florida stuck to using the width, giving outside backs Tessa Andujar and Claire Falknor multiple chances to create opportunities.
Andujar took three shots, with two on frame, while Falknor made one shot on frame.
But no matter what Florida did, it just wasn’t enough to get past Duke’s defense.
“Once we were chasing the game, it allowed Duke to put a lot of people behind the ball – pretty much everybody behind the ball,” Burleigh said. “That’s never going to be easy to break down in our sport.
“We had some great looks, but couldn’t get one past them. It was definitely not for a lack of effort and definitely not for lack of sticking to the game plan.”
The Gators had two corner kick opportunities in the final two minutes to change their luck, but they were unsuccessful in getting past goalkeeper Meghan Thomas – who had seven saves on the night.
Florida ends its season with an 18-5-1 record.
“This team has grown a lot this year and I’m really excited about the future,” Burleigh said. “I’m disappointed for our seniors, but this year was a huge year of growth for us.
“It was a breakthrough year for us in terms of our players playing for each other and our players playing tough. We learned a lot of lessons this year, and I know that they’re going to carry forward this program.”
Follow Michelle Provenzano on Twitter @mmprovenzano.
Savannah Jordan battles for the ball during Florida’s 2-0 victory against Texas A&M on Oct. 27 at James G. Pressly Stadium.
