Florida dominated Mississippi State for 89 minutes on Sunday.
Unfortunately for UF, it was one minute too few.
A first-minute goal by the Bulldogs (5-8-3, 2-5-1 Southeastern Conference) was all they needed as the No. 11 Gators (13-4, 6-2 SEC) were unable to convert on a multitude of scoring chances in a 1-0 loss on Sunday in Starkville, Miss.
Thirty-seven seconds into the game, freshman midfielder Amy Hoover intercepted a pass at midfield. She placed a through ball past the Gators’ back line to sophomore forward Elisabeth Sullivan, who was making a run into the box. Sullivan then fired it past keeper Taylor Burke from 16 yards out.
Gators coach Becky Burleigh said Sullivan’s goal, which was the second-fastest goal in Mississippi State history, was a confidence booster for the Bulldogs, who came into the game ahead of only Ole Miss in the SEC standings.
It was the second win for the Bulldogs in 13 games against the Gators, a series in which Mississippi State has been outscored 53-6.
Florida had plenty of chances following the goal, with four shots in the next 14 minutes. Three of the attempts were on frame, but Mississippi State redshirt junior keeper Skylar Rosson saved each of the shots.
“I think we handled it well,” Burleigh said of her team’s early deficit. “Nobody panicked. Nobody was getting too riled up about it. We just had a lot of opportunities and we didn’t finish.”
The chances kept coming for the Gators, who had 12 first-half shots to the Bulldogs’ five, but Rosson continued to stonewall them.
In the 43rd minute, midfielder Taylor Travis drilled a shot from 25 yards out that traveled toward the top of the net before Rosson jumped up and got a hand on it to tip it out of bounds.
With 18 seconds left in the first half, Florida center back Kat Williamson played a free kick into the Mississippi State box that midfielder Caroline Triglia headed, but it was stopped by a diving Rosson, who finished the game with 13 saves.
“She made some good saves, and we kicked a few right at her, which didn’t help,” Burleigh said.
The Gators continued to squander opportunities in the second half, as they added 12 more shots but were unable to convert.
“If we learned anything, it’s that you have to come out ready to play,” Burleigh said. “Everybody on the field needs to be ready to play.
“Can’t give up a goal in the first minute. [Assistant coach Alan Kirkup] said after the game, ‘You can’t win the game in the first five minutes, but you can lose it,’ and that’s pretty much what we did today.”
Florida coach Becky Burleigh (center) said the Gators didn’t panic after allowing a goal in the first minute against Mississippi State on Sunday, but No. 11 UF lost 1-0 in Starkville, Miss.
