For coach Becky Burleigh and the Gators, 2013 has been a year of many firsts.
Florida faced Oregon State on Aug. 25 for the first time since 2009.
When Savannah Jordan scored five goals in her first two games, she set the record for most goals scored by a player during a season-opening weekend.
This weekend brings two more firsts as No. 10 Florida faces first-time opponents Oklahoma at James G. Pressly Stadium at 7 p.m. and Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
“It’s kind of nice this year to play a variety of teams,” Burleigh said.
“I think it just gives fans some more exposure to different styles of soccer that are across the country in big-name conferences.”
Burleigh said she welcomes the opportunity to face the Big 12 teams for the first time in program history.
“For us, it’s about preparing so we know a little bit about them, but also probably more importantly us executing the things that we need to get better at,” she said.
“We still need to do a better job of defending set pieces. We need to do a better job at executing in terms of our finishing. We’ve gotten plenty of chances, but we’ve got to stick those chances once we have them.”
Oklahoma may not pose a challenge to Florida other than the inexperience that comes from never facing a program.
Oklahoma finished the 2012 season 7-9-4, going 3-3-2 in conference play.
The Sooners lost the first game of the Big 12 Championship and have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2010.
Sunday’s opponent, Oklahoma State, fared better in 2012.
The Cowgirls finished with an 11-6-3 overall record.
Oklahoma State has made consecutive appearances in the Elite Eight in 2010 and 2011. Florida has not made the Elite Eight since 2003.
“It’s going to be a hard-fought battle,” senior midfielder Caroline Triglia said.
Florida enters the weekend 3-1; Oklahoma comes in 2-2, while Oklahoma State has a record of 3-0-1 before its matchup with Florida State tonight.
Freshman Meggie Dougherty Howard, who scored her first collegiate goal on Sunday, said the team has come together well this season.
“I think we really showed a lot of heart and physicality [last weekend],” Dougherty Howard said.
“Hopefully we can carry that over to our upcoming games and stay tough this season.”
Follow Michelle Provenzano on Twitter @mmprovenzano.
Savannah Jordan (left) pushes past an opponent during Florida’s 3-0 loss against Florida State on Aug. 30 at James G. Pressly Stadium.
