When senior forward Savannah Jordan was asked about scoring the 72nd goal of her career, moving her up to No. 2 on Florida’s all-time career goal list, the first thing she did was give credit to her teammates.
Jordan now ranks behind only Abby Wambach, who had 96 goals during her career at Florida.
But if you know Jordan, or if you have watched her play, it is apparent that her team-focused mentality after such an impressive milestone isn’t unusual.
“Savannah has scored goals since the first day she got here,” UF coach Becky Burleigh said.
“I think what’s cool about it is that she always credits her teammates, from the services she receives or passes she receives to score. But she is always driven and hungry to score goals.”
That has been a theme not only for Jordan, but the entire team this season — unselfishness and perseverance on and off the field.
Even after a road loss to Arkansas on Friday, No. 4 Florida (6-2) refused to play victim coming into Sunday’s match against in-state rival UCF.
They defeated the Knights 3-2 after scoring a goal with less than three minutes to play.
It was at a point of the game where other teams might have panicked.
But not the Gators.
“It’s a great trait of this team. This team shows a lot of fight,” Burleigh said.
“It is very, very easy, given the circumstances we faced, to take the victim role, and I am really glad we didn’t. I think that’s a big credit to the both the leadership of our team and everyone who is playing.”
Now that the Gators have wrapped up non-conference play, their season only gets tougher as they face a slate of Southeastern Conference opponents and attempt to defend their 2015 SEC regular-season and tournament titles.
They play nine straight SEC opponents to close out the regular season, starting with Auburn at home on Thursday.
“The last time we played Auburn, it wasn’t a good result for us,” Burleigh said.
“They have some dangerous players. … Everyone at this point is prepared and knows how much these SEC games mean.”
Contact Lauren Staff at lstaff@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @lstaff27.
UF forward Savannah Jordan fights for possession during Florida's 5-2 win against Iowa State on Aug. 19, 2016, at James G. Pressly Stadium.
