Midfielder Parker Roberts said ahead of tonight’s game that “defense wins championships.” As UF has now remained entirely scoreless since August 19th, the team’s offense is still struggling to discover how to merely win matches.
The Gators (2-4-1) leave Tallahassee for Orlando to face off with UCF on Sunday at 6 p.m. after they suffered a 1-0 defeat to the Seminoles (6-0-1) Friday.
It was perhaps Florida’s worst performance of the season, as they took merely three shots to FSU’s twenty-three and suffered from a red card, the team’s first of the season.
The Gators survived the first half without letting up any goals, though FSU was consistently on the attack. The Seminoles outshot UF eight to one, with Florida’s only shot in the first half coming in the tenth minute. FSU was relentless, but three saves from UF goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese ensured that the score would remain tied at zero when the first half ended.
The Gators put Deanne Rose in the lineup for the second half of the match, who had just returned to the team this week after playing in Canada, but her presence on the pitch wouldn’t do the Gators any good.
Marckese had to make another save in the match’s 50th minute, but it wouldn’t be long before a lightning delay stopped play for 47 minutes, halting FSU’s momentum. Play resumed at 9 p.m.
FSU’s aggressive offense continued, with Marckese saving three shots in four minutes, but things quickly got ugly for Florida in the 64th minute.
Araujo tripped an FSU player on a breakaway, causing the referee to hand her a yellow card. After one of the few shots in the game by Sarah Troccoli, Araujo violently tripped the Seminoles’ Gloriana Villalobos in frustration, prompting the referee to give her the Gators’ first red card of the season. With Araujo out of the game, UF had to face the dynamic Seminoles offense with only 10 women on the pitch.
After numerous shots from FSU, it appeared that the game could reach overtime in what would be Florida’s third match in extra minutes, but Florida State ensured it wouldn’t happen. In the 88th minute of the game, FSU’s Kristen McFarland easily knocked in a shot that had bounced off of Marckese’s hands seconds earlier, putting the Seminoles up by a goal with just over two minutes left in the match.
The Gators couldn’t respond, leaving Tallahassee still scoreless after five straight games.
You can follow River Wells on Twitter @riverhwells or contact him at rwells@alligator.org.
Despite making her return to the field against Florida State, UF forward Deanne Rose couldn't provide an offensive spark, as the Gators lost 1-0 and failed to score for the fifth-straight game.
