After a weekend in which Florida played in Gainesville for the first time since Aug. 24 and defeated two Southeastern Conference opponents in Georgia and Missouri, the Gators are now more than halfway through their regular-season schedule.
No. 7 Florida sits at 8-2 thus far this season with a 3-0 SEC record.
It has eight more games to play on its regular season schedule before the SEC tournament begins on Nov. 3.
Five of those eight will be on the road.
Coach Becky Burleigh likes what she has seen out of her team up to this point in the year.
Burleigh said she’s excited to see how much stronger the Gators can play and how much they can still improve as they head down the stretch.
"I think for us, what’s pretty exciting about it is that we still have a lot of areas to grow and we’re still forming chemistry among different pairs of players and positions on our team," Burleigh said.
"We have a big ceiling and I think that the games that are coming up are going help push us there."
Another factor that will continue to help Florida down the road is the consistently strong play of sophomore Savannah Jordan.
Jordan was named the SEC Offensive Soccer Player of the Week on Monday.
She is the third Gator to receive the honor this year, along with senior Jillian Graff and sophomore Pamela Begic.
Last weekend, Jordan had two goals and one assist as Florida defeated Georgia and Missouri.
She has a team-high seven goals this season, which is also the third most in the SEC. Her 45 shots and 25 shots on goal are both team highs.
Last season, as a freshman, Jordan was named an All-American, National Rookie of the Year and SEC Offensive Player of the Year and was named to both the All-SEC First Team and the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Her resume speaks for itself.
Burleigh knows how much trouble Jordan causes for opposing teams with her talents and her skillset.
"She’s tough to contain," Burleigh said of Jordan.
"In a 90-minute game, she’s going to get her chances. I think teams know that and the fact that she’s still being able to do that as a marked player is even more impressive."
Jordan will look to continue to cause havoc among her opposing defenses for the remainder of this season.
She and her teammates will need to be on the top of their game if the Gators want to have a strong second half of the year.
Florida has quality teams that they will face in the coming weeks and the majority of them will be on the road.
But for the Gators, they are excited to embrace the challenge.
"We are really looking forward to playing great competition because that great competition is what usually elevates us," Burleigh said. "For us there’s a long way to go."
Follow Alex Maminakis on Twitter @AlexMaminakis
Savannah Jordan dribbles the ball during Florida's 2-1 win against Georgia at James G. Pressly Stadium.
