Annie Speese knew what the Gators needed — and she responded.
Without midfielder Havana Solaun, who suffered a torn ACL during the Southeastern Conference Tournament final, Florida was in need of an offensive spark against Jacksonville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Speese delivered.
The junior midfielder crossed in a corner kick in the 57th minute and found freshman midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard, who tapped in the pass for a goal en route to a 2-0 Gators victory.
With Solaun, who was second on Florida with eight goals prior to her injury, is out for the remainder of the season, Speese is working to fill the void.
“She is really trying hard to play with Havana in mind,” coach Becky Burleigh said. “One of the things she has definitely increased is her shot production. She’s definitely taking that to heart, especially with Havana being out of the lineup. She had some great opportunities on Saturday.”
Speese took six shots during the game. She barely missed scoring a goal of her own when she deflected a shot off the post.
Her six shots were the most she has taken in a match since Florida’s 1-1 draw with South Florida on Sept. 15.
“Because we’re such a possession-oriented team, we always think, ‘One more pass, one more pass,’” Burleigh said. “We need to think sometimes, ‘Let’s take a shot.’ I just think that emphasis for all of our attackers is a good thing.”
As Florida heads on the road to face Duke in second-round play on Friday in Durham, N.C., that mindset will be critical.
Although Duke has a 9-8-5 record this season, Burleigh said her team cannot afford to overlook the Blue Devils or that their season could end.
“It seems like every single time we play [Duke] it’s a competitive match,” she said.
With the Gators looking for a more potent attack to advance in NCAA play, Speese is one of Florida’s starters that can make a difference.
“We talk about our purpose a lot,” Speese said Sunday after the game. “When we had our meeting a while ago, we talked about what we need from each other.
“[Taking shots] was one of the things that a lot of my teammates told me they needed me to do more of, so I’ve just been trying to shoot a lot more.”
Follow Michelle Provenzano on Twitter @mmprovenzano.
Annie Speese dribbles the ball during Florida’s 2-0 victory against Jacksonville on Saturday at home.
