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NEWS  |  CAMPUS

Burleigh wants Florida soccer team to remember who they are

<p>UF coach Becky Burleigh looks down the field during Florida's season-opening win against Miami on Aug. 24, 2014.</p>

UF coach Becky Burleigh looks down the field during Florida's season-opening win against Miami on Aug. 24, 2014.

Becky Burleigh’s message to her team this week was simple: remember who you are.

After starting their Southeastern Conference schedule a perfect 6-0, the No. 8 Gators (11-4, 6-2 SEC) had a dismal weekend, losing games at South Carolina and Kentucky — both unranked teams.

Both matches were uncharacteristic for Florida, a team that has played with patience and maturity all season, especially in potential letdown games.

The UF coach believes the issues that resulted in both losses can be fixed by getting back to what has made the Gators so successful this season.

"I think it was just us not quite being in sync," Burleigh said, "and I think the good news about that is I think there’s some stuff that we can fix, I think that’s all within us to fix."

"It’s just a matter of more getting back to our basics, getting back to what we do best, because what we do best, it’s a team game for us. It’s much more of a collective effort."

Playing as a team is what has made the Gators so dangerous this season. Twelve different Gator players have scored the team’s 34 goals, making attacks tough to defend for opponents.

But over the weekend — especially against Kentucky, Florida failed to score for the first time since Sept. 12 — Burleigh said the players began to get frustrated and impatient, and instead of allowing the offense to come to them, they started trying to make plays individually.

"We all have to trust one another that if we give a ball we’re gonna get it. ... We just have to continue to emphasize that," Burleigh said.

"The more we move the defense, the more we find gaps. The more we keep the ball in one place, whether it’s because we don’t switch it, because we dribble ... the less things are going to happen."

Florida’s coaches will look to use the full week of practice — a rarity this season — to regain form before facing Tennessee on senior night on Friday.

Burleigh said because the entire team has such respect for the senior class, lack of motivation is the last thing she’s worried about heading into the match.

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"This is an unbelievable senior class," she said. "They are a group that we’re heavily indebted to for the culture of our program, and I know that they’re gonna be motivated, and I know that the other players are gonna be really motivated to send them off in a good way."

The senior class has eight players in all, and Burleigh will be leaning on that leadership to help right the ship and get the Gators back on the right track.

With only three regular season games left, there isn’t much time to do so, but Burleigh believes in her team and how they will respond to the adversity.

"I really have full trust in this team," she said. "I think they’re mature, they understand what we’re trying to do, they’re bought in to what we’re trying to do, and sometimes you need a situation like this to really bring you back to reality."

Follow Graham Hack on Twitter @graham_hack24

UF coach Becky Burleigh looks down the field during Florida's season-opening win against Miami on Aug. 24, 2014.

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