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<p>UF soccer coach Becky Burleigh talks with her team following Florida's 5-2 win against Iowa State on Aug. 19, 2016, at James G. Pressly Stadium.</p>

UF soccer coach Becky Burleigh talks with her team following Florida's 5-2 win against Iowa State on Aug. 19, 2016, at James G. Pressly Stadium.

After winning the program’s 12th Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship, Florida was named a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Monday.

The Gators joined South Carolina, Stanford and West Virginia to round out the tournaments top seeds.

Florida (15-4-1, 8-3 SEC) will host the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in the first round on Friday.

“It’s cool to be a No. 1 seed,” senior forward Savannah Jordan said.

“But I'm also excited to play Florida Gulf Coast this weekend. … I know they're a good team. They are always super competitive, super aggressive. So I'm looking forward to what they bring Friday.”

Florida earned its top seed from its dominating performances in the second half of the season.

The Gators recorded seven shutouts in their 11 games and only lost once.

They also knocked the nation’s No. 2 team, South Carolina, out of the SEC Tournament, handing the Gamecocks their first loss of the season.

“We have definitely known all along what we are capable of,” senior midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard said.

“And I think we're just starting to put all the pieces together and just really believing in ourselves and showing that and having that confidence when we play.”

But Florida will face a big test in the first round.

The matchup against the Eagles will feature a battle between the NCAA's two active leaders in both goals and points.

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Jordan leads both categories with 80 goals and 187 points, but FGCU forward Tabitha Tindell is a close second with 66 goals and 162 points.

“We’re really excited about being home, especially after being on the road all last week,” UF coach Becky Burleigh said. “Gulf Coast is a tough opponent. We seem to see them a lot and I think that they are really well coached."

This will be the Gators’ 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the program started in 1995, only failing to qualify in 2002.

If Florida beats FGCU, it will host the winner of the Wisconsin-Marquette match in the second round.

“(FGCU) is always going to be ready to play,” Burleigh said. “They are a tough out for sure. I mean, that’s a really good first round game.”

Contact Lauren Staff at lstaff@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @lstaff27.

UF soccer coach Becky Burleigh talks with her team following Florida's 5-2 win against Iowa State on Aug. 19, 2016, at James G. Pressly Stadium.

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