Home is where the heart is, and it’s also where the victory was Sunday for the Gators.
No. 7 Florida (8-2, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) defeated Missouri (7-2-2, 2-1 SEC) 3-1 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium, completing a sweep of this weekend’s SEC home stand — the only such weekend on the schedule.
The Gators started the game ready to play, controlling the possession early in the first half and keeping the ball in Missouri’s third of the field.
Midfielder Havana Solaun broke the scoreless game open, putting the ball in the back of the net in the 19th minute to give the Gators a 1-0 lead.
Florida continued to apply pressure, passing the ball around while keeping Missouri from pushing players forward.
The Gators managed to take a two-goal lead from an unusual goal by substitute Betsy Middleton in the 33rd minute.
Middleton received a pass from Pamela Begic on the left side of the penalty box but whiffed on her initial attempt as the Tigers’ goalkeeper came sliding in to stop the ball.
Both players lost sight of the ball, but Middleton found it first and managed to shoot accurately before the goalkeeper could recover.
"It was very strange," Middleton said. "Honestly for a second there I had no idea what was going on. … Savannah was continuing into the box and she was making a fantastic run, and since the goalkeeper was cutting off my near-post angle, I was thinking ‘I’ll cut it back to Savannah and she can lay it right into the goal,’ and as I was doing that the keeper did cut me off, and I turn around and all of a sudden the ball’s just free in the middle of the goal."
Although the Gators commanded the first half of play, Missouri started the second half with more determination than Florida.
Just two minutes into the half, Missouri scored a 35-yard goal from the foot of Alli Magaletta, giving the Tigers even more confidence.
Missouri took four shots to Florida’s one during the first 10 minutes of the half.
Florida was under intense pressure from the Tigers until Savannah Jordan took control of the situation, scoring her seventh goal of the season in the 57th minute to give the Gators a 3-1 lead, and more importantly, breathing room.
From that point on, the Gators took seven more shots, while the Tigers only managed to get off one, giving Florida complete control for the rest of the game.
Coach Becky Burleigh said the team didn’t play as well as it could have, but ultimately the players got the job done.
"In the end, that’s what we were looking for coming out of this weekend, was the six points, and that’s what we got, so we’re happy about that," she said.
"I think we’re just gonna continue to grow and grow and grow."
Depth played a major role in the Gators’ victory. Florida played 22 players in Sunday’s game, versus 17 for Missouri, and during a hot afternoon in Gainesville, keeping players fresh was one of the reasons Florida was able to dominate the final half hour of the game.
"It’s great during the games when we have an opportunity to show our depth, because we really have so many people on the bench that can get in and make a huge impact," said Middleton, who came off the bench to provide 45 quality minutes for the Gators.
Missouri’s depth was hurt by an illness to midfielder Kaysie Clark, who did not play in the game.
Burleigh described Clark as the Tigers’ best player, and said she was disappointed the Gators weren’t able to compete against her.
Follow Graham Hack on Twitter @Graham_Hack
Savannah Jordan (right) fights with Missouri's Lauren Flynn (11) to maintain possession of the ball during Florida's 3-1 win against Missouri on Sunday at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
