A well-rested Florida team took care of business Sunday afternoon, defeating Mercer 3-0 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 2-seeded Gators had a week and a half to prepare for the opening-round match, and it showed.
Passes were crisp, players were organized and the team played with energy from start to finish.
Florida dominated possession throughout the game, making Mercer chase the ball by putting pass after pass just outside the reach of its defenders -— all the while probing for space to get shots away.
And the Gators found that space often, taking 16 shots to the meager three from the Bears.
After opening the game with a palpable sense of urgency, Florida got its first goal in the 19th minute from Annie Speese, who put a soaring Tessa Andujar cross into the back of the net.
The Gators took the 1-0 lead to the half and returned from the locker room without missing a beat.
Florida locked down Mercer’s offense, allowing only one shot in the entire second half while completely taking over the game.
"I definitely think we had control of the game," Florida coach Becky Burleigh said. "I thought — particularly in the second half — it was really dominant defensively for us, and I think our style of play wore them down a little bit. They were chasing the ball for a really, really long time, and I think that’s why it opened up late for us."
When Mercer wore down, Savannah Jordan capitalized.
After having a number of close chances throughout the match — including a header that hit the post early in the second half — Jordan finally broke through, striking a ball past the keeper from 15 yards out in the 82nd minute to give the Gators the breathing room they needed.
"I think that was kinda the goal that really broke them, and kinda caused them to fold over," Jordan said. "Getting that is always great."
But just to make sure, Jordan added her second goal of the game and 17th of the season in the 90th minute.
With Florida holding Mercer goalless, Taylor Burke tied the school record with her 27th career solo shutout.
"Obviously throughout the whole season and throughout my entire career I’ve had a fantastic team in front of me and a fantastic defense as well," Burke said, "so it’s definitely nice to get a shutout today and start the NCAA Tournament off right."
With the win, Florida will advance and face California in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
Follow Graham Hack on Twitter @Graham_Hack24
Savannah Jordan chases after the ball during Florida's 3-0 win against Mercer on Sunday at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
