The UF alumni returned to a record-setting night for McKenzie Barney and the Gators, as Barney now sits tied for the school record for most consecutive home games with a goal.
No. 7 UF beat Jacksonville convincingly 6-0 Friday, improving to 5-0 on the season.
Barney scored her record-setting goal five minutes into the second half off of a well timed cross by outside defender Jazmyne Avant, which left Barney with an easy one-on-one situation where she finished on a well placed shot to the far right post.
“Anything tied with Abbey Wambach (current record holder) means a whole lot to me,” captain McKenzie Barney said. “She’s a soccer god, and to be tied with her is an amazing accomplishment.”
Despite Barney’s stagnant first-half performance, the Gators washed the bad taste of failing to finish scoring chances. UF finished off the half with three quality goals on 15 shots.
Gators substitutes contributed four of the six goals scored, all of which were yet to put one in the back of the net this year.
“In the big picture of the season the solid bench play is very important,” coach Becky Burleigh said. “For them to get this experience is good as we move down the road.”
Lindsey Thompson put in the first goal of the game off of a through ball from Erika Tymrak, where Thompson capitalized.
“It felt good scoring,” Lindsey Thompson said. “It seems like after that everything feel into place and I was glad I could do that for us.”
For the first 20 minutes of the first half, the Gators were using there outside defenders Nicky Kit and Jazmyne Avant to advance the ball and draw defenders away from the playmakers up top.
The strategy caused Jacksonville to focus on stopping the defenders from pushing up which opened up the middle and allowed UF to overwhelm the center of the field with some quick give-and-go plays. The quick passing allowed Maggie Rodgers to score her first goal of her colligate career in the closing seconds of the first half.
Now, UF starts a tough five game road trip, as it plays No. 1 North Carolina and in-state rival No. 5 Florida State during the stretch.
“The biggest thing is we just want to be progressing as a team,” Burleigh said. “This game really helps us and shows that it’s a step in the right direction.”
