The Florida soccer team wraps up its regular season tonight when it hosts Vanderbilt at 7 at James G. Pressly Stadium.
The eighth-ranked Gators (13-4, 8-2 Southeastern Conference) sit just one point behind No. 7 Texas A&M in the SEC standings. With a win against Vanderbilt (7-9-2, 2-6-2 SEC), Florida has a chance to secure the top spot in the conference.
"For our team, the only thing we can control is our play and the outcome of Thursday night’s game," sophomore Savannah Jordan said. "We know that all that we can do is come out with three points and hope for the best against the other team."
Home games have also been few and far between for Florida this year. Tonight’s game against the Commodores will be the Gators’ seventh home match this season, and Florida is happy to be closing out the year on its home turf.
"We’re looking forward to being at home against Vandy," coach Becky Burleigh said. "Technically our last regular season home game, we don’t know if we’ll be playing here again."
If Florida isn’t chosen as a host school in this year’s NCAA championship tournament like it was last year, then tonight’s game against Vanderbilt will be the last home game of the season for the Gators.
For the team, it’s hard to believe that this 2014 season has gone by so fast.
"Especially now that it’s getting to the end, I’m thinking more about not just taking this for granted and going through every day and seeing what we have right now," senior Jillian Graff said. "What we have right now is incredible, next year I’m not gonna have this, so not taking things for granted is a big thing for me right now."
This 20th season of Florida soccer has seen many Gators step up and make productive strides in their games.
As Florida finishes its regular season tonight and heads into the SEC tournament next week, it will need that same defensive strength and offensive output that it has gotten all year.
The Gators have scored 40 goals this year and have limited opponents to only 15. Florida has also outshot its opponents 254 to 167 in 17 games this season. That spells trouble for Vanderbilt, who is second to last in the SEC in goals per game and third to last in goals allowed.
Florida will look to finish the regular season with a strong outing tonight as it attempts to take sole possession of first place in the SEC and prepares for the conference tournament next week.
"It seems so weird because I feel like we were just here last year. It flew by," Jordan said. "I’m looking forward to going into the tournament and I think our team’s in a good position right now. It’s exciting but kind of sad at the same time that the season’s kind of coming to an end."
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UF soccer players celebrate Savannah Jordan's header goal during Florida's 3-1 win against Tenessee on Friday.
