Florida's midfielders have improved drastically since the beginning of the season.
The No. 12 Gators (10-3-1, 4-2-1 Southeastern Conference) are coming off of a two-win weekend and coach Becky Burleigh said that some of the success can be attributed to the chemistry that is building between the central players.
"Like anything, the more you play with people, the more chemistry develops," Burleigh said.
"I think you’re starting to see more and more chemistry develop, particularly between the central players on our team like when Meggie, Liz and Lu (Lauren Smith) play together.
"They really read each other well and it’s becoming a much better situation than what we had earlier in the year."
Midfielders Meggie Dougherty Howard and Liz Slattery were part of multiple scoring chances for the Gators over the weekend. The team defeated Tennessee 2-1 on Friday and LSU 2-1 on Sunday.
Slattery found the back of the net for the game-winning goal against Tennessee on Friday, and the combination play of Dougherty Howard and other players was evident Sunday when the Gators amassed 21 shots against LSU.
This season, the midfielders have been a solid source of offense for the Gators, despite having the highest scoring forward tandem in the SEC in Brooke Sharp and Savannah Jordan.
This season, the midfielders have scored 14 of the Gators' 37 goals this season while recording 13 assists.
Slattery has found herself in the right place at the right time on set pieces and found the back of the net three times for the Gators.
Dougherty Howard has played in every game for the Gators and scored once while tallying three assists.
Smith has filled in at central defensive midfielder and played along side center backs Claire Falknor and Christen Westphal on her way to two assists this season.
The depth has added to the production from the starting midfielders, allowing younger players to make an impact in the middle of the field.
Freshman Sarah Troccoli, who has four goals and two assists on the year, and Mayra Pelayo, who has scored a goal and assisted on three scoring plays this season, are two players that have added to the team’s chemistry in the midfield.
"When you add in some of the younger players getting involved in that mix too, I think it just continues to help us," Burleigh said.
Despite the passing rhythm the Gators seemed to have found over the weekend, Burleigh said they still needs to improve.
"We need to continue to work on developing chemistry between players and passing our way into situations when the defense is really packed in there," Burleigh said.
"We need to make sure that we don’t just kind of launch balls into the box and hope for the best we’re really trying to play our way in."
Follow Ryan Summers on Twitter @RyanSummers18
UF midfielder Liz Slattery takes a shot during Florida's 2-1 win against LSU on Oct. 11, 2015, at James G. Pressly Stadium.
