Tahnai Annis is constantly putting herself in harm’s way.
The smallest Gator sacrifices her body to find the back of the net, and it’s working.
The senior midfielder will look to continue her recent scoring tear as No. 2 seed Florida (17-7) hosts UCF (12-4-5) in the second round of the NCAA tournament at 7 in Pressly Stadium.
In the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament and again in the NCAA tournament, Annis had two-goal efforts. Her recent success can be attributed to her willingness to make dangerous plays in traffic around the net.
“You know when you are challenging for balls in the box it is going to be a challenge,” coach Becky Burleigh said. “There is going to be someone else in there trying to get that ball out. Her willingness to do that has made her very successful.”
In Florida’s 3-0 first-round win against Florida Gulf Coast last Saturday, the first goal was a perfect example of the 5-foot-1 Annis’ willingness to risk her body for her team. Junior forward Erika Tymrak played a ball through the middle of the box from the left in the 16th minute. A diving Annis headed it past the keeper from 5 yards out.
Annis said there is not anything flashy about her goals. Just sheer effort.
“It’s not like I’m taking people on from midfield, dribbling around three people and then shooting from 25 (yards) out,” Annis said. “It’s just me making a choice to get in the box and being willing to throw myself at the ball in order to score.”
Despite her small stature, Annis is rarely at a disadvantage when challenging taller players for first balls off free or corner kicks. Her second goal against FGCU came from 10 yards out when she headed in a free kick from freshman midfielder Annie Speese.
“She’s got some ups,” Burleigh said.
Aside from the goals, another benefit of Annis’ aggressive play is that it rubs off on her teammates.
“It can kind of be a contagious thing,” Annis said. “(It can) show other players on the field that an aggressive mindset can translate to offense and help with getting you to score those that you might not have been able to score if you didn’t make that extra slide and throw your body at the ball.”
UCF was a victim of Annis’ offensive prowess in the second game of the 2010 season, when she scored two goals. One of those goals came when Tymrak fed her a ball from just outside the box. Annis was able to get her foot on it just in front of a pair of two defenders to score from 10 yards out at the far post before sliding into the keeper.
“She’s the type of player that doesn’t care if she is going to get hurt,” Tymrak said. “She’s going to do anything to score, and I look up to that and our team respects that so much.”
Florida senior midfielder Tahnai Annis (9) has become an offensive force down the stretch for the Gators, using aggressive tactics to score goals in pivotal games.
