Savannah Jordan has never stepped foot on Tennessee’s turf.
But after hearing of the Gators’ recent struggles on the road against the Volunteers, the freshman forward is anxious to compete.
“I’m excited to get there and play and see what Tennessee is like,” Jordan said.
She and the rest of Florida travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to face Tennessee today at Regal Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m.
Despite their lackluster record, the Volunteers are 5-1-2 when playing at home this season and have fared well as of late.
Tennessee beat Texas A&M, the Southeastern Conference leader, 1-0 on Sept. 20, and shut out Ole Miss on Oct. 4. Tennessee’s only home loss came in a 1-0 overtime defeat to South Carolina on Oct. 6.
“They take a lot of pride playing at home — which all of us do, but I think they do a really great job of that,” Burleigh said.
“They’re an athletic, hard working team. They’re not going to give you anything easy.”
The Volunteers (7-6-3, 2-4-2 SEC) stress that mentality, having beaten the Gators five times in Knoxville.
Florida has not come away with a win at Tennessee since 1999.
“We’ve had our struggles at Tennessee, so it’s going to be up to us to really step up and play a good game,” Burleigh said. “We know they’re a tough team to play at home, and their record reflects that this year too.”
Tennessee — 11th in the SEC entering the weekend — needs a win to stay in contention for the SEC Tournament, which only the top 10 teams in the conference are eligible to compete in.
Burleigh said the Gators (12-3-1, 6-2 SEC) need to stick to their style of play and focus on one-two-touch soccer to extend the momentum coming off of a successful weekend, which included back-to-back 3-0 shutouts.
“We’re starting to see what loyalty or trust or things like that look like on the field,” Burleigh said. “That’s a pretty big motivator when you’re playing for your teammates and playing in a style of play that you like to play and are comfortable in.”
Florida’s final game of the weekend brings league-leader Texas A&M (12-3-1, 7-1 SEC) to James G. Pressly Stadium at 3 p.m. on Sunday
“A&M is really talented,” Burleigh said. “I think they’re somebody who has a strong identity of what they’re trying to do, and they do it very successfully.”
Added Jordan: “If we can come out with the same performance that we did this weekend, then we can be successful.”
Follow Michelle Provenzano on Twitter @mmprovenzano.
Freshman forward Savannah Jordan dribbles the ball during Florida's 3-0 victory against LSU on Oct. 20 at James G. Pressly Stadium.
