In a hostile environment at College Station, Texas, the underdog Gators tuned out the noise.
No. 18 Florida bounced back from an early deficit and held No. 5 Texas A&M scoreless in the second half en route to a 2-1 upset win on Sunday afternoon in front of 2,096 fans at Aggie Soccer Stadium.
“It’s hard to totally rattle us,” coach Becky Burleigh said. “Our maturity came through.”
The win is the seventh straight for the Gators (10-3-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) and their second this season against a top-five opponent. On Aug. 26, Florida knocked off then-No. 2 Duke 3-2 in overtime.
The victory also snaps a 12-game unbeaten streak for the Aggies (12-2-1, 6-1-1 SEC).
Throughout the match, both attacks were aggressive. Each squad racked up 19 shots.
Texas A&M found the net first, when Shea Groom headed a corner kick from Beth West in the 22nd minute.
“They scored, and we kind of looked around,” senior Erika Tymrak said. “We knew that wasn’t going to really affect us. … As soon as we started connecting more passes, it got our confidence up.”
Eight minutes later, Florida responded with a score from Jo Dragotta on a set piece. The senior’s free kick from the left side of the box sailed toward the far post.
The ball traveled through redshirt senior McKenzie Barney’s legs as she tussled with Aggie goalkeeper Jordan Day.
“The credit completely goes to [Barney], because it wouldn’t have gone in if she didn’t do a little tricky play and let it go in between her legs,” Dragotta said. “The goalkeeper wasn’t expecting that.”
The Gators took the lead in the 39th minute when junior Adriana Leon booted a goal from 7 yards out. Tymrak and sophomore Havana Solaun earned the assist on Leon’s game-winning score.
“I heard [Leon] calling for it, so I played a little through ball,” Tymrak said. “She just nailed it. Incredible shot and finish.”
Despite ending the half up by a goal, Burleigh said she wasn’t happy with her team’s composure in the first 45 minutes.
The Gators came out of the locker room with a methodical approach on defense and clamped down on the Aggies’ attack.
Texas A&M failed to convert on nine shots in the second half. Sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Burke finished the match with a season-best eight saves.
“We did a great job of keeping our focus and keeping our composure,” junior defender Taylor Travis said.
“The coaches talked to us about some different changes and movements and tactics at halftime, and we adjusted to that.”
Said Dragotta: “We just stuck to our game plan. We know how to defend, and we took it upon ourselves to defend for each other.”
Adriana Leon (91) fights for the ball against Arkansas defender Melanie Foncham (14) in UF's 4-0 win on Sept. 30 at James G. Pressly Stadium. Leon kicked the game-winning goal in the 39th minute against No. 5 Texas A&M on Sunday in College Station, Texas.
