To the blind eye, the Gators have nothing to worry about as they prepare for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Becky Burleigh thinks otherwise.
No. 2 seed Florida (16-7) is looking to correct recent defensive problems as it prepares to take on Florida Gulf Coast (14-4-2) in the opening round on Saturday night at 7 at home in Pressly Stadium.
UF won the first game between the two teams, 5-0, on Sept. 11, but Burleigh said the victory and higher seeding does not mean anything come Saturday, adding Florida needs to keep improving.
“What seed we are doesn’t help us beat Florida Gulf Coast,” Burleigh said.
In the first matchup, the Gators held the Eagles to just three shots on goal.
However, since that suffocating performance, Burleigh has found flaws in her team’s defense that need to be addressed.
Florida advanced to the finals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament last week in Orange Beach, Ala., with wins against Georgia and Alabama.
But UF came up short in the final, a 3-2 loss to Auburn, because of costly goals that resulted from what Burleigh described as a poor “defensive presence.”
The Gators’ failure to clear loose balls out of the box led to Tigers midfielder Katy Frierson’s two goals. One was courtesy of a free kick played into the box and the other scored on a deflection off a UF defender.
Burleigh said Florida could avoid letdowns such as these by taking a more aggressive approach to the ball on defense.
The team keeps track of how many first and second balls it gets to.
The first balls are loose balls that are usually in the air, such as a free kick or corner kick.
The second ball goes to whoever controls it off of the touch that ensues.
The Gators’ lost the first-ball battle against the Tigers by four after controlling twice as many as both the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide in the first two rounds.
Junior center back Kat Williamson said being more physical when the opposition is on the attack could help prevent loose balls from becoming something worse for Florida.
“It’s what you are willing to do for your teammates,” Williamson said.
“Are you willing to slide tackle somebody when you may not win it? Are you willing to go in hard to a challenge when you might get hurt?”
In their 4-2-3-1 system, the Gators rely on everyone from the keeper to the highest forward.
Junior midfielder Erika Tymrak said players who aren’t on the back line can do plenty to stop balls from getting into the defensive third in the first place.
“We have to stay compact and we have to screen balls,” Tymrak said.
“If they don’t get past us, they aren’t going to get to the goal and score.”
