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Thursday, March 28, 2024
<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-55ce7acb-22f9-aea7-8a6d-71f04b84858d"><span id="docs-internal-guid-55ce7acb-22f9-aea7-8a6d-71f04b84858d">The Florida soccer team huddles during its 6-0 win over Alabama <span id="docs-internal-guid-55ce7acb-22f9-aea7-8a6d-71f04b84858d"><span id="docs-internal-guid-55ce7acb-22f9-aea7-8a6d-71f04b84858d">on Oct. 20 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium</span></span></span></span></p>

The Florida soccer team huddles during its 6-0 win over Alabama on Oct. 20 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium

After 17 games, a regular-season record of 13-4 and one of the toughest schedules in the Southeastern Conference, the Gators are poised to make another deep postseason run.

But even though Florida has seen success on the field during the regular season, it has also had to learn how to find the positives in its failures.

“I think you can always go back and say you can change things in the season. Obviously we wish we could have won the SEC, change some of those games,” senior forward Savannah Jordan said Monday. “But I’m also thankful for those games because I think we learned a lot from those losses. Like I said, we are right where we need to be.”

Today, the No. 15 Gators (13-4, 8-3 SEC) open up postseason play in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Orange Beach, Alabama, in a rematch against the Missouri Tigers, who the Gators defeated 1-0 Thursday in Columbia.

And while Florida didn’t repeat as SEC regular season champions, they have the opportunity to win back-to-back SEC tournaments, something the soccer program hasn’t done since winning six-consecutive conference tournaments from 1996 to 2001.

Florida has also won the three of the last six SEC tournaments.

But in order to win again, it will first have to get past the Tigers.

“We just beat them 1-0 at their place, so I am pretty sure it is going to be a physical match,” Jordan said. “And they are going to have something to prove from that. But I think our team is ready for that matchup.”

Throughout the last eight games, Florida has been playing its best soccer of the season.

The Gators went 7-1, with their only loss coming against undefeated No. 2 South Carolina on the road in double overtime.

UF’s defense has also stepped up during that period, only allowing two goals and forcing six shutouts.

“The coolest thing about this season is that we have grown every single game, and I think that if we can just keep doing that going into postseason,” Gabby Seiler said, “I honestly think this team hasn’t even peaked yet.”

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

The Florida soccer team huddles during its 6-0 win over Alabama on Oct. 20 at Donald R. Dizney Stadium

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