It was known before the season started that Savannah Jordan would be one of the nation’s top goal scoring threats.
In fact, the junior forward is alone at the top of the NCAA goals leaders with 12 on the season, as she’s creeping closer and closer to the top of No. 12 Florida’s all-time list — where American soccer star Abby Wambach waits at the top.
And with the loss of key creators such as Havana Solaun, Annie Speese and Tessa Andujar, the goal count from Jordan shows that some of the new faces in the midfield have been able to step up and push the ball forward.
However, the Gators also have another forward making her presence felt: junior forward Brooke Sharp.
Before this season, Sharp recorded just five combined goals in her two-year college career.
She started out the 2015 season on a quiet note, going scoreless in the team’s first four games.
However, in the team’s fifth game, a home matchup against Oklahoma State, the Ponte Vedra native showed a glimpse of what she can bring to the team’s offense.
She scored her first goal of the season in the 27th minute to bring the game to a 1-1 tie, and she scored the game-winning goal with 19 seconds left in overtime.
Since that game, she has scored five goals in six matches, with the Gators going 4-2 in that span.
Sharp’s emergence has added a new dimension to a Florida offense that seemed to rely on Jordan for goals early in the season.
Before Sharp stepped up her game, Jordan faced much more pressure from defenses than she does now.
Often, Jordan was double teamed by opposing defenses, and was sometimes taken out of the game because teams saw her as the Gators’ only legitimate scoring threat.
Sharp’s play has changed how teams prepare for a Florida team that ranks first in the Southeastern Conference in goals and is tied for first in assists.
Now, midway through the regular season, Jordan and Sharp sit as the highest scoring duo in the NCAA, combining for 19 goals thus far.
The team's midfielders appear to have grown more trusting of Sharp — and she's made sure not to disappoint.
One of the keys to her game is the ability to secure field position with the ball and wait for the play to develop.
It's a trait that Jordan herself has relied on to score goals during her UF career.
Both forwards possess the ability to protect the ball and extend possessions when the ball is in the attacking third.
"That’s really key for us," senior defender Claire Falknor said of the forwards’ ability to hold possession.
"They’re good players to feed the balls off of and they can hold the defenders off."
Self-trust, a characteristic that coach Becky Burleigh has mentioned to describe Sharp in previous weeks, is also serving as a factor in the forward’s success this season.
Without the elements of confidence and self-trust, it can be difficult for a player to be aggressive in a time of need.
That doesn’t seem to be an issue for Sharp this season.
"She’s taking her opportunities more," Burleigh said.
Follow Kyle Brutman on Twitter @KBrut13
UF forward Brooke Sharp shoots during Florida's 2-1 loss to Texas A&M on Sept. 10, 2015 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
