Savannah Jordan jockeyed for position deep in the penalty box as she watched Samantha Chung blast the ball toward her from about 20 yards away.
The three-time All-American played Chung’s cross well, absorbing it with her body before dribbling to her right. There, Jordan struck an off-balance shot that barely snuck by Ole Miss goalkeeper Marnie Merritt.
The goal gave No. 16 Florida (10-3, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) a lead just seven minutes into the match, setting the tone for what would eventually be a 3-0 victory over the unranked Rebels (8-7, 3-4 SEC) on Sunday night in Oxford.
“I thought we started off really fast,” coach Becky Burleigh said in a release. “... I really felt we could have scored a couple more, but credit to Ole Miss for keeping us out of the net.”
Jordan led the way for UF with two goals, increasing her career total to 77 and her season total to 12. The senior forward has been one of the conference’s top offensive threats this fall, entering the weekend ranked second in both goals and points scored.
After a header from senior midfielder Pamela Begic gave the Gators a 2-0 lead in the 40th minute, Jordan helped the Gators pull away at the start of the second half.
In the 59th minute, Jordan slipped past a pair of Rebel defenders and received an uncontested pass from senior midfielder Meggie Dougherty-Howard. Jordan corralled the ball deep in the box, easily kicking it past a diving Merritt to seal the victory for Florida.
Defensively, UF held its opponent scoreless for the third time in its last four games.
Florida limited Ole Miss to only four shots all night, and sophomore goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese made two saves for her fourth shutout of 2016. The Gators also wore down the Rebels with their physicality by committing eight fouls, including five in the first half.
Next up, UF travels to Columbia on Sunday to face the No. 4 South Carolina Gamecocks (13-0-1, 7-0 SEC) at 3 p.m. Junior forward Savannah McCaskill is a player to watch for the Gamecocks, as she led the SEC in goals and points scored as of Sunday.
Contact Dylan Dixon at ddixon@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @dylanrdixon.
UF forward Savannah Jordan fights for possession during Florida's 5-2 win against Iowa State on Aug. 19, 2016, at James G. Pressly Stadium.
