All the chips were falling into place for the Gators to win their 10th Southeastern Conference Tournament title.
But they failed to cash them in Sunday.
After recovering from an early two-goal deficit, No. 23 Florida (16-7) was not able to put away Auburn (14-6-2) as a second-half goal gave the Tigers a 3-2 victory and their first-ever SEC Tournament Championship.
Auburn, the seventh seed, was the lowest seed to ever win the tournament, and a team UF defeated 3-2 earlier this season.
The Tigers scored the game-winner in the 64th minute when defender Julie King crossed it from the right side of the Gators’ box to the far post, where midfielder Ana Cate received the ball and shot it past keeper Taylor Burke from 8 yards out.
While Cate’s goal put Auburn up for good, Florida’s start to the game was just as costly. For the eighth time in 10 games, the Gators fell behind 1-0 in the first half.
In the 12th minute, midfielder Katy Frierson, a four-time First Team All-SEC selection, controlled the ball after a long free kick was played into the middle of the box. She kicked it through the defense from 14 yards out, just inside the left post and past a diving Burke for her seventh goal of the season.
“In the first few games of the tournament, I felt like we brought a really great physical presence defensively,” Gators coach Becky Burleigh said. “In this game, we were not able to match that.”
Frierson extended the lead to 2-0 in the 30th minute, when she received a pass from forward Tatiana Coleman in the middle of the UF box. She shot it toward the middle of the net, but it deflected off a Florida defender and was redirected into the left side of the net before Burke could adjust.
Burleigh said she wanted to see more of a defensive presence from her team in terms of beating the opposition to loose balls in their box and stepping out to block shots similar to the ones that resulted in Frierson’s goals.
The Gators were able to come back and tie the game thanks to a late first-half goal by midfielder Holly King and an early second-half goal from forward Jillian Graff.
But Burleigh said the offense’s efforts were rendered moot by a lack of a defensive presence from the entire team.
“I don’t really care who we play,” Burleigh said. “It’s about us, and we’re trying to establish ourselves physically and then do what we do technically and tactically.
“Unfortunately, we did not do a good job of establishing ourselves physically today to win this game.”
Florida’s next matchup will be determined today, when the NCAA Championship bracket is announced at 4:30 p.m.
Gators midfielder Holly King rooms with teammate Jo Dragotta. The chemistry from the seniors will help UF cope with the loss of All-American center back Kat Williamson.
