For a sophomore forward who, until last weekend, had started every game this season on the bench, getting to start two games in a row was not an opportunity to waste.
Brooke Sharp certainly made the most of it.
The Ponte Vedra, Fla., native made her first starting appearance of the season on Friday night against Georgia and then her second start of the season two days later against Missouri.
Sharp scored her third goal of the year against Georgia — the first goal of the game — while recording four shots. Her three goals are the second most on the team behind sophomore Savannah Jordan.
"I wasn’t expecting to start, but I was happy to," Sharp said. "I just made the most of it and went out there with confidence that the coaches trusted me to start."
Coach Becky Burleigh spoke highly of Sharp and her ability to maintain possession and orchestrate positive plays on offense.
Burleigh has also seen improvement in Sharp compared to last season.
"With Brooke, when the ball goes into her feet it’s really, really hard to knock her off the ball," Burleigh said. "She’s strong, she’s got a low center of gravity and what she has improved upon, I think she’s making better decisions off the ball."
In her freshman season, Sharp started only one match and had one goal all year.
Sharp said she worked hard in the offseason to better understand Florida’s formations and game plans so that she could be a stronger asset to the team this year.
"I was really happy," Sharp said of her performance last weekend. "I felt like I improved from last year, so that was a good confidence booster."
It is not as if Sharp didn’t play much at all in her freshman season. She played in 12 games and logged 322 minutes of action last year.
But in those 12 games, Sharp’s offensive output wasn’t where she would have liked it to be, logging just four points.
One year later, she is making her minutes count and emerging as one of Florida’s leading offensive weapons.
Burleigh has recognized the improvements in Sharp this year and doesn’t doubt that the sophomore will help the team succeed as it progresses through the latter portion of its schedule.
"I think her playing time is just going to continue to increase," Burleigh said.
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Brooke Sharp (11) celebrates with teammates following her goal during Florida's 2-1 win against Georgia on Friday at James G. Pressly Stadium.
