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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p>Havana Solaun (19) moves past Tennessee midfielder Alison Clarke (11) at James G. Pressly Stadium.&nbsp;</p>

Havana Solaun (19) moves past Tennessee midfielder Alison Clarke (11) at James G. Pressly Stadium. 

On what was their first of four consecutive weekend road trips this season, the Gators showed how quickly they can put a loss behind them and focus on what is more important: the next game.

No. 6 Florida (3-1) faced the Oklahoma Sooners (2-1-1) on Friday night in Norman, Okla., in the first of six straight away games.

It didn’t start well for Florida, as sophomore Rachel Ressler gave the Sooners an early goal in the sixth minute of play.

When Florida fell behind 2-0 after giving up a penalty kick to senior Abby Hodgen in the 63rd minute, it proved to be too much to overcome. Although sophomore Savannah Jordan found the back of the net in the 72nd minute and junior Christen Westphal had good opportunities late, Florida’s first loss of the season came in the Sooner state, a final of 2-1.

"The good thing is the only way you can forge resilience is through adversity," coach Becky Burleigh said following Friday’s loss. "So now we have a little adversity in front of us and it is time for us to show some resilience and bounce back."

Bounce back is exactly what Florida did on Sunday in Stillwater, Okla., as it faced Oklahoma State.

The Gators went into their match against the Cowgirls (0-4) two days after their first loss of the season.

But that game was long over. This game is what mattered now.

Florida came out looking to attack and got a goal from senior Havana Solaun in just the third minute of the match — the earliest goal of the season for the Gators and Solaun’s first of the year.

Jordan added the second goal of the game in the 74th minute, and the Gators never looked back.

In all, four different players scored for Florida on Sunday as it went on to beat Oklahoma State 4-0.

Junior Brooke Smith added her first career goal in the 87th minute and sophomore Brooke Sharp put in her first of the year with only 36 seconds left in regulation. Senior Tessa Andujar contributed two assists, making it her first double-assist match of her career.

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Florida received huge contributions from all over the field, a lot of which weren’t from starters. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Valerie Tysinger replaced senior Taylor Burke to begin the second half; the two combined for the shutout.

"To come out with a 4-0 win on the road is a good response," Burleigh said after Sunday’s victory. "Our depth really played a big role in this game today."

Follow Alex Maminakis on Twitter @alexmaminakis

Havana Solaun (19) moves past Tennessee midfielder Alison Clarke (11) at James G. Pressly Stadium. 

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