After the Gators football team failed to ride into Tuscaloosa, Ala., and win a primetime game, the university’s other football team will look to pick up the slack.
The No. 6 Gators (10-1-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) will travel to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide tonight at 8 and the Auburn Tigers on Sunday at 3 p.m. in a weekend set against the SEC West’s top-two teams.
After defeating Ole Miss and Mississippi State, Florida is looking to continue its SEC dominance after starting the season undefeated in conference play, conceding just one goal.
While much has been made about the lack of finishing, the Gators newly formed defense has been dominant. UF has allowed just six goals this season. It is second in the conference with seven shutouts and has the highest save percentage and fewest goals allowed in the SEC.
Nicky Kit and Jazmyne Avant have become mainstays in the starting lineup, while senior Ashlee Elliott has made the transition from forward to center back. The glue has been Williamson and goalkeeper Katie Fraine.
“They’ve really got a unit feel to them and that helps [our team],” coach Becky Burleigh said. “They’ve all matured as players and confidence has really helped the cohesiveness of that group.”
Early in the season, Elliott struggled with UF’s zone defense, looking timid and confused with where she was supposed to be in correlation with her teammates. However, the senior has figured it out.
“I don’t think I’m a rookie back there anymore,” she said.
Fraine agreed.
“Communication has gotten a lot better as the season’s going on,” she said. “At the beginning there was less of a communication issue, but we didn’t understand each others’ styles.”
Elliott said that the hard work in practice has helped the unit avoid any communication issues. All it has to worry about now she said are getting shutouts.
“To make us look good we have to get shutouts. Anything we have to do to stop a goal we’ll do it because if they don’t score we win or tie, and that’s what we’ve done.”
