The Florida soccer team is focused on playing all in and playing hard every minute of the match.
On Friday night, the No. 12 Gators (8-3-1, 2-2-1 Southeastern Conference) tied the Kentucky Wildcats in a 1-1 draw leading to the first SEC tie-result of the season for both teams.
Freshman goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese got the start in goal for the Gators and played all 110 minutes of the match.
Marckese made four saves and let up one goal in the tie.
In the five games she has played, the St. Petersburg native has made 13 saves and given up five goals.
Marckese has been formidable in goal, as she has a record of 4-0-1 with one shutout on the season.
The freshman has been in a fluctuating role as coach Becky Burleigh experiments with both Marckese and redshirt junior Val Tysinger in the starting lineup.
The freshman keeper made zero appearances in the team’s first four games, but since being subbed in during UF’s 3-2 overtime win against Oklahoma State on Sept. 4, Marckese has started in four of the team’s last seven games, having gone 3-0-1 in those starts.
Burleigh said Monday that she was satisfied with the team’s defensive performance in Friday night’s draw against Kentucky (9-2-2, 3-1-1 SEC) and thinks the team took a lot from the overtime match.
"I think as a whole, our team played really well on Friday night," Burleigh said.
"From the front to the back, the defensive effort, and that obviously includes Kaylan, was really good and I think that as long as we continue to build on that and she continues to build on her experience, that’s going in the right direction."
Burleigh won’t name a starting goalkeeper until Friday when the team takes on Tennessee but the last three weeks when the Gators have played multiple games Burleigh has split the starts between the two goalkeepers.
With only the top 10 SEC teams making the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama, Nov. 2-8, getting either a win or a draw in the Gators’ remaining six conference matches is going to be vital in securing a postseason spot for Florida.
Statistically, Marckese is the best option for the Gators in order to achieve that goal.
Marckese boasts a better save percentage and winning percentage than Tysinger.
Down the stretch, the Gators will play three more home matches and three matches on the road ending with a road match against the last place Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia.
Burleigh said Monday that as long as the team reaches its full potential by the time November and December roll around, everything else will fall into place.
"For us, we are looking to progress," Burleigh said.
"I think each week as we get better at certain things those are things that we add to our repertoire as a team. Those things (making the postseason) take care of themselves."
Follow Ryan Summers on Twitter @RyanSummers18
UF goalkeeper Val Tysinger (right) battles for possession with FSU forward Cheyna Williams (19) during Florida's 3-2 win on Aug. 30, 2015, at James G. Pressly Stadium.
