With the preseason and two regular season games in the record books, one thing is certain: The Florida soccer club has depth.
That depth throughout the 25-member roster is what will drive them for the duration of the season.
"One of the things that’s a real positive about this team is our depth," coach Becky Burleigh said.
"I think we will continue to see that grow as the season goes on."
Since the preseason, the Gators have shown how their practice has molded the team to play as a whole instead of individually.
When the team plays as a unit, results are generated, but once an individual decides to manage the gameplay solo, things fall apart.
During Sunday’s match against South Florida, Florida caught itself in a situation that could result in future mishaps if repeated throughout the season.
"There was a period in the beginning of the second half where we sort of started to play more individually and that’s just not our DNA, that’s not what our team functions on," Burleigh said. "Making sure that we stick to the plan and trust that process."
Remaining with that original game plan is what boosted Florida to a 2-0 start to the season.
Only six of the 25 players on the roster have not appeared in a minute yet due to either injury or freshman inexperience.
One of those six players is senior Karina Gutsche, who has been out with an MCL sprain. Burleigh does not expect her to be back for this weekend’s matchups against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
"The timeline, we sort of look at it day-by-day," Burleigh said. "She’s definitely progressing. She’s doing some running and things like that now, but it’s one of those things we just have to take our time with because she’s a big piece of what we do and the way that she plays is entirely physical.
"So we want to make sure that she is really ready to go and we don’t put her in a situation where we jeopardize a longer-term injury."
The other 19 players have consistently rotated between both games, but the starters have still logged the majority of the minutes.
Defender Christen Westphal and goalkeeper Taylor Burke have each played all 180 minutes this season.
But the bench is what has kept the team stable on Friday and Sunday.
"There’s going to be players that will continue to emerge as the season goes on," Burleigh said. "We are starting way ahead of where we started last year at this point. The fact that we’re getting contributions on a regular basis from our bench is only going to help us in the long haul of the season."
Another contribution to the team’s depth has been a mixture of scoring.
It started with forward Jillian Graff, who scored Florida’s first two goals of the season and became the sixth Gator player to have a double-goal game in a season opener.
Graff also recorded the fourth fastest season-opening goal for UF and the fastest since 1999.
As a result, she earned a share of the Southeastern Conference Co-Offensive Player Of The Week award alongside Georgia’s Gabby Seiler.
Forward Savannah Jordan and midfielder Annie Speese also found the back of the net in the opening weekend.
Jordan turned in the third goal of the night versus Miami, and Speese had a double-goal game herself against USF.
"I think anyone on this team can start," Graff said.
"We really have great depth on the bench and what it comes down to is coach’s decision, but we’re all capable of doing it."
Follow Lawrence Laguna on Twitter @LagunaLawrence
Jillian Graff kicks the ball during Florida's 3-0 win against Miami on Friday at James G. Pressly Stadium.
