MICHELLE PROVENZANO
Alligator Writer
@mmprovenzano
Coach Becky Burleigh needed a change.
After the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Tournaments ended in second-round losses on the Gators’ home turf, along with a third-round loss in Gainesville during the 2012 NCAA Tournament, Burleigh didn’t see how change could hurt.
As a second seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Florida won 2-0 over Jacksonville University in first round play at James G. Pressly Stadium last weekend, which gave the Gators the option to host the second and third rounds.
Burleigh opted to head on the road to Durham, N.C., to face second-round opponent Duke away from the comforts of Pressly Stadium tonight at 7:30.
“We wanted to do something different this year,” Burleigh said. “We’ve been in this situation before and haven’t had as much success as we’d like. Sometimes you just have to mix it up.”
The last time Florida faced Duke in the postseason, the Gators fell 4-2 in a penalty kicks battle during the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Duke may not have a stellar record — it checks in at 8-8-5 this season — but the Blue Devils compete in the nation’s toughest soccer conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“They’re already hard-nosed because they play in the ACC,” Burleigh said. “They’re kind of weathered by the games they have to play in that, but I think that they’re always pretty talented.”
And the Blue Devils have already proved they’re up to par.
Duke won in first round play, beating Colorado College 4-3 in penalty kicks to advance to the second round.
But what Florida has to offer this year can’t compare to the past years the Gators have lost out.
With the nation’s No. 2 scorer in Savannah Jordan — who scored her first goal at UF in a spring game against Duke — and a lineup full of young, raw talent, Florida will pose a challenge to Duke on its field.
“They’re a strong team,” Jordan said. “If we work together as a team — team defending, team attacking — then we will be fine.”
Follow Michelle Provenzano on Twitter @mmprovenzano.
Freshman forward Savannah Jordan dribbles the ball during Florida's 3-0 victory against LSU on Oct. 20 at James G. Pressly Stadium.
