It was only back on Nov. 28 that Florida soccer’s Fall season came to an end with a loss in penalty kicks to Stanford in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals.
Most teams take a considerable break in the offseason before they start playing a few spring games and look to get back into form.
But for the Gators, they have a game on Saturday against a team from one of the most respected soccer organizations in the world.
Florida’s offseason is over.
The Gators will host FC Bayern Munich’s women’s team on Saturday at James G. Pressly Stadium, making this the first time its women’s team travels to the United States.
FC Bayern is a professional team based in Munich, Germany, and is a member of the German league Bundesliga.
The Florida players and coaches are excited for the opportunity to face one of the world’s best women’s teams and they aren’t taking this match lightly.
As assistant coach Alan Kirkup said, this game will be about each team proving something to its opponent.
This won’t be just a lackadaisical spring game.
"They know that American soccer is quite good and I think they’re here to probably prove that German soccer is better than ours," Kirkup said, "and we hope to give them at least a test."
The players realize that this isn’t a typical game for them; FC Bayern isn’t a collegiate team, it’s a professional organization.
But the Gators are looking forward to the challenge and to see how well they can match up with the German side.
Florida sophomore forward Savannah Jordan has plenty of experience playing internationally in her time spent competing with the U-20 U.S. National Team.
She said the organization and physicality were things that she remembers specifically from when she played the German national team, so she expects similar things from FC Bayern.
"(Coach Becky Burleigh) was just telling us they’re second in their league, which is great competition for us," Jordan said. "But I think that we always go out and give it our all, no matter when we’re playing or who we’re playing so, I mean, we go for the win."
Junior defender Claire Falknor said she is happy to have spring games scheduled this early because she’d rather be playing against other teams than just working out and scrimmaging each other.
"Maybe in the spring, I’m more set back because it’s a time to learn and be OK to make mistakes and learn from them," Falknor said, "but I’m a naturally competitive person, so I take (this game) pretty seriously."
Florida hopes to give FC Bayern all it can handle on Saturday and prove that it’s not only among the highest ranks of collegiate competition, but that it can hold its own against anybody, even world-renowned professionals.
"It’s pretty early in our spring schedule, so we’re not prepped where we want to be," Kirkup said. "But if you’re not prepared to play a team like this, then you really shouldn’t be at Florida."
Follow Ale Maminakis on Twitter @alexmaminakis
Savannah Jordan dribbles the ball during Florida's 3-2 win against Texas Tech.
