After two years of former UF goalkeeper Katie Fraine making life easy on the Gators’ coaching staff, the decision for who will play between the pipes each week has gotten a little tougher in 2011.
Through three starts by senior Brooke Chancey and two by freshman Taylor Burke, No. 9 Florida (4-1) has yet to put its finger on who will be this season’s No. 1 option in goal.
“We have a person who’s seen it all, with Brooke being here for many, many years. We know what we have with her,” UF goalies coach Robert Liessem Jr. said. “And then you have this kid Taylor who comes in, and we all know her athleticism and her upside and the potential. We have to try and bring that out of her.”
Just the second true freshman to start a match since 1999, the 6-foot-1 Burke — who is also a jumper on UF’s track and field team — has begun her career with shutouts on the road at FIU and then against Texas Tech on Friday.
Chancey, meanwhile, held Miami goalless in the season opener but conceded four goals in two games against then-No. 18 Texas A&M and then-No. 15 UCLA.
Liessem said coach Becky Burleigh and the rest of the staff were hesitant to throw Burke into either game, as they thought Chancey provided the better matchup against the two ranked teams because of her experience.
“It’s also really difficult for a freshman to come in, even if she’s been playing the best to start,” he said. “The goalkeeper is a very important position, and it’s so much easier to put her in over a period of time, if that’s the eventual goal and if she ends up earning it.”
The matchup with the Red Raiders (3-2) was pressure-filled for the freshman, with nearly 4,000 on hand in Pressly Stadium and former Gators Abby Wambach and Heather Mitts looking on from the sidelines.
But after seeing just three shots on goal in her first game, Burke again was rarely challenged with just three shots levied her way on Friday, compared to the 17 shots on goal against Chancey in her three starts.
“It felt really good to get some experience, especially with that type of crowd and the Florida Gator environment,” Burke said.
Her lone gaffe occurred in the 37th minute, when she ventured too far in pursuit of an oncoming attacker and left an empty net. The only thing preventing a goal was the heads-up play of defender Kat Williamson, who made it back to the goal line quick enough to clear the incoming shot.
“I’m really impressed with Taylor, especially coming in as a freshman and being commanding in her box and I think there’s only better things to come from her,” Williamson said.
While it will take a week of practice to figure out the starter on Friday against Florida State, Liessem said he would like to see the competition settled before UF hits the meat of Southeastern Conference play, which begins Sept. 23.
“The ultimate goal is to have someone really terrific to step up and bring everything that we need encompassing, and really take it over,” he said.
“As much as it’s a good thing to have two talented kids that are doing it, for continuity of the team … it’s a lot easier to have that one and that’s why we were so ridiculously successful with Katie.”
Contact John Boothe at jboothe@alligator.org
