The Florida soccer team took the field clinging to a hope of ending its inconsistent season on a high note. For the seniors, it was their last time ever stepping foot on the pitch. The result ended up being far from what the Gators desired.
UF trailed narrowly in the waning minutes of its match against Tennessee. The Gators saved their best offensive pursuit for when they needed it the most. However, when redshirt junior midfielder Oakley Rasmussen attempted Florida’s fourth shot in a six-minute span at 88:38, it missed, all but ending Florida’s 2024 campaign.
In a low-scoring affair, the Gators (4-8-6) were outdone by Tennessee (8-5-4) 1-0 in their final match of the season at Donald R. Dizney Stadium Wednesday.
“This is a really valuable lesson for us as coaches as well as the players, that you can't always control the results, but what you can control is your attitude, your effort,” Bohon said. “I think there is a level of satisfaction that our players feel because they know they walk off with their tank emptied, knowing they've done everything they can.”
Florida’s offensive woes hindered its success through the night. Much like they had for the majority of the season, the Gators were unable to generate quality scoring chances. UF’s first shot attempt came 10 minutes into the match off the foot of graduate student midfielder Delaney Tauzel.
“We just couldn't put the ball in the net,” UF assistant coach Adam Godwin said.
Roughly two minutes later, UF freshman forward Vera Blom hooked another shot that just missed right of the goal.
Although Tennessee’s offense didn’t score until minute 44:21, it created various chances that put the Gators at an early disadvantage. The Volunteers outshot Florida 6-3 at halftime while only committing six fouls to UF’s 9.
The only goal of the evening came off UT’s first corner kick of the match. The ball crossed into the center of Florida’s box and was deflected away, but Tennessee Nyla Blue delivered a solid touch off the deflection to sophomore forward Sarah Greiner in the upper corner of the box. Geiner subsequently buried her shot into the net to give the Vols a 1-0 lead.
Despite Florida’s sluggish offense, graduate goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg had herself an impressive performance. Goldberg took on 10 Tennessee shots and saved four of them, including a one-touch shot from six yards away by UT graduate student forward Sammi Woods at minute 60.
With the loss, Florida’s season now officially comes to an end. Bohon will look to regroup this offseason and focus on continuing to build UF’s program. For the senior Gators, they’ll never don the orange and blue again.
"It meant the world,” UF senior defender Madison Young said. “It built me as a person, as a soccer player. The relationships that I take from here, and the overall people around the program, people like Connie [Andrews], the athletic trainer, everyone's just been so great."
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
