Florida wanted to come out with a sense of urgency, but coach Becky Burleigh likely didn’t envision a season-high scoring performance.
The No. 12 Florida soccer team downed Florida International 6-1 on Sunday afternoon in Miami as the Gators finished non-conference play with a road victory.
Burleigh talked before the match about how she wanted the team to play with some urgency.
"We asked the leadership group to try and talk to the team and see if we could get a different response and kind of a quick start," Burleigh said. "I think they did a good job in the locker room of expressing what that would look like and obviously that took place on the field."
The players seemed to take the pregame talk to heart as the game’s opening goal came during the ninth minute when junior forward Brooke Sharp put the ball into the back of the net off a pass from junior forward Savannah Jordan.
Jordan followed her assist with a goal of her own in the 30th minute as she beat the Panthers' goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation.
The goal was Jordan’s 50th career goal as a Gator, making her the second fastest player in program history to accomplish that milestone.
As the action resumed, the Gators (7-2-0) threatened to score again on a long-distance shot from junior midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard. The shot hit the top crossbar and deflected down into the box.
The deflection was met by freshman midfielder Sarah Troccoli who put the rebound in the back of the net in the 34th minute.
FIU (4-5-0) wouldn’t go quietly though, scoring a goal of its own in the 42nd minute to make the score 3-1 heading into halftime.
Following the start of the second half, the Gators got into an early passing rhythm. That rhythm led to two goals in the 54th and 57th minutes.
The first of the three goals the Gators would score in the second half was scored by Sharp for her second goal of the game.
It was Sharp’s sixth goal of the season and her second multi-goal game of her career.
The Ponte Vedra native has scored all six of her goals this season in UF’s last five matches.
The second goal of the half came off a corner kick sent into the box by senior defender Christen Westphal that was met by a header from Liz Slattery for the Gators’ fifth goal.
The Gators struck again in the 71st minute when Jordan scored her second goal of the game and 10th of the season on a cross from senior defender Lauren Smith.
Burleigh said the passing ability of Jordan in the attacking third gives the Gators more opportunities to score.
"Well I think that’s always going to make her more dangerous," Burleigh said.
"When they think she’s going to take a shot and she can dish it to someone who’s open because she’s garnering a lot of attention, that’s a great alternative."
Follow Ryan Summers on Twitter @RyanSummers18
UF forward Brooke Sharp dribbles the ball during Florida's 2-1 loss to Texas A&M on Sept. 10, 2015.
