Friday night was a special night for Florida in more ways than one.
On a night when the Gators held a pregame ceremony to honor their nine graduating seniors, No. 8 Florida (12-4, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) defeated Tennessee (7-9-1, 2-6-1 SEC) 3-1 to end its two-game losing skid.
Even though Florida recorded 27 shots on the night compared to Tennessee’s nine, it was not an easy win for the Gators.
In fact, Florida trailed at halftime 1-0.
Tennessee’s senior forward Hannah Wilkinson took advantage of an early miscue by the Gators’ defense and scored the game’s first goal in the fifth minute of the match, her fifth score of the season.
Florida, despite dominating the shot count, trailed after 45 minutes of play. The Gators had shots go off two of the three goal posts and Tennessee’s junior goalkeeper Jamie Simmons kept the Volunteers in the game with multiple spectacular saves.
“At halftime, we said ‘that was one of the most complete performances we’ve had in a half,’” coach Becky Burleigh said. “I was really proud of the way our team responded.”
With the consistent offensive attack Florida displayed in the first half, it was only a matter of time before its first goal came.
Sophomore Savannah Jordan was finally able to find the back of the net in the 68th minute of the match, off of assists from senior Lauren Silver and senior Annie Speese, Jordan’s 12th goal of the season.
The floodgates began to open.
Florida’s offensive pressure began to quickly increase, leading to a penalty kick for the Gators in the 76th minute, their second of the game and second of the season.
Senior Tessa Andujar stepped into the box, quickly composed herself and then quickly gave Florida a 2-1 lead with her third goal of the year. Andujar said that it was the first penalty kick that she had taken in a long time.
“I always told myself if I created the PK, then I would take it,” Andujar said. “My teammates gave me confidence and I luckily got it in.”
Andujar, who is from San Clemente, California, added that she was very happy that her mom was in attendance for senior night to see her score the penalty kick.
Florida then put the game away with a Savannah Jordan goal in the 84th minute off of a strong run and assist by sophomore Meggie Dougherty Howard, Jordan’s 13th goal of the season.
Jordan had 11 of Florida’s 27 total shots on Friday night and was glad to finally see two goals go in for her. It was Jordan’s third multi-goal game of the year and tenth of her career.
“Our biggest thing tonight was for us to focus and just to lock in on every situation,” Jordan said. “And I think once we got that first goal, we settled in and relaxed after that.”
Florida’s comeback victory on Friday capped off an electric senior night at James G. Pressly Stadium. It was exactly what the Gators needed after their two-loss weekend last weekend.
“These seniors have done so much for us and I think it was up to us to make sure that we sent them out on a good note,” Burleigh said. “I think the most important thing is that we sort of rediscovered ourselves again tonight.”
Follow Alex Maminakis on Twitter @alexmaminakis
Savannah Jordan dribbles the ball during Florida's 3-1 win against Tennessee on Friday at James G. Pressly Stadium.
