On Florida’s senior night, the Gators looked to close out the season with a win to strengthen their quest for a Southeastern Conference tournament berth.
Florida’s strong performance held the game to a draw to finish the regular season.
The Florida Gators (6-5-5, 2-5-3 SEC) drew against South Carolina (11-1-5, 5-1-4 SEC) 0-0 Thursday evening at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. The Gators finished with eight shots but failed to find the breakthrough goal.
In the first two minutes, Gamecocks junior midfielder Lily Render attempted the first shot from the far right wing, but the ball went out top above the net.
Florida had the opportunity to score with the first corner kick of the game in the 9th minute. UF junior defender Madison Young attempted to score a header, but South Carolina’s defense deflected the ball.
Both teams continued to trade possession and fought for control of the ball throughout the first half.
South Carolina’s senior forward Catherine Barry shot to the bottom center of the net into the hands of Gators senior goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg.
In the 35 minute, Florida had its second corner kick opportunity but redshirt junior forward Maddy Rhodes shot was blocked by Barry in the box.
Moments later, UF junior midfielder Lauren Donovan attempted a shot off a free kick. Fifth-year South Carolina goalkeeper Heather Hinz managed to make the save at the bottom center of the net.
In the final two minutes of the half, UF freshman forward Lena Bailey took control of the ball and sent a long-range shot from the far right wing. Hinz caught the ball to keep the Gators off the board.
Florida kept the defense on its heels in the final minutes of the first half and outshot the Gamecocks four shots to three. South Carolina responded well to the Gators’ pressure, though, and kept the game scoreless heading into halftime.
UF ran into back-to-back foul trouble in just the first five minutes of the second half as both teams remained relentless.
Gators freshman forward Megan Hinnenkamp came up from the far left wing in an attempt to cross the ball to the box, but it fell into the hands of Hinz.
In the 76th minute, USC sophomore forward Shae O’Rourke took control of the ball in a one-on-one play against Florida senior defender Josie Curtis. O’Rourke took the shot, but the shot went too high over the net.
The Gators gave their best effort to find scoring opportunities, but South Carolina did a great job of blocking the passing lanes.
Both teams fought for possession in the box but the Gators were unable to capitalize the play. USC defense cleared the ball from reaching the back of the net.
In the final five minutes, South Carolina junior midfielder Lily Render took an opening and made a high shot to the top left of the net. Goldberg managed her third save in the air.
The teams traded possession until the end of the half. Florida failed to breakthrough and settled for a draw.
The Gators will await their fate as they hope to play in the SEC tournament starting Oct. 29.
Contact Hailey Hurst at hhurst@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @haileyjhurst.
Hailey Hurst is a second-year journalism major with a focus in sports media and a sports reporter for The Alligator. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach and cheering for Miami sports teams.
