It's been 290 minutes since the Gators last scored a goal.
Florida managed just two shots on goal as it finished goalless for the third straight match. The team’s losing streak now stands at six.
The Gators (2-9-0, 0-4 SEC) lost Thursday night’s match to No. 22 South Carolina Gamecocks (7-2-3, 2-2 SEC) 1-0. UF junior goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg recorded seven saves, but it was not enough to avoid defeat.
Florida head coach Samantha Bohon said there have been very few times she’s been disappointed in her team’s fight but said the team needed to do more.
“In order for us to get results in this league, we have to do a little bit more than that,” Coach Bohon said.
Although both sides failed to record a shot in the opening 20 minutes, the teams began to find chances later in the match.
Florida junior midfielder Julianne Leskauskas took the first shot in the 21st minute. She made an inside turn and hit a rocket which went just over the goal.
Minutes later, Leskauskas beat one defender and created a one-on-one opportunity against the goalkeeper, but a save by South Carolina goalkeeper Heather Hinz kept the Gators off the scoreboard.
The Gamecocks produced its best chance of the first half in the 36th minute. Forward Catherine Barry received the ball on the left side of the box. She dribbled past a UF defender to get a chance in front of goal but couldn’t capitalize on the moment.
There was another missed opportunity right before the half for South Carolina. Forward Corinna Zullo drew Goldberg out of the goal and passed it across the box, but Zullo’s teammate Shay Montgomery failed to reach the ball as it rolled past.
The teams went into the half deadlocked at zero. Both sides took four shots in the first half, with the Gators getting one shot on goal compared to the Gamecocks, who managed three.
Early in the second half, Florida sophomore forward Maddy Pirrello curled a shot from outside the left side of the box. She faked a shot that beat the defender and created space for the true shot, which went just wide.
In the 61st minute, Gamecocks forward Barry turned in with the ball to beat a defender and hit a quick shot to the far left side of the goal. This one got past Goldberg. Zullo assisted the goal with a pass to the top of the box.
Florida failed to find a late goal to bring the match back to level terms. The Gators’ best chance came from a shot from freshman midfielder Oakley Rasmussen, which went past two Gamecocks defenders but landed just wide of the goal.
UF finished the match with eight shots and two on goal. South Carolina recorded 12 shots and eight on goal.
The Gators will look to bounce back at home against the Arkansas Razorbacks next Thursday. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+ at 6 p.m.
Contact Jackson Reyes at jacksonreyes@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @JacksnReyes.
Jackson Reyes is a UF journalism senior and The Alligator's Fall 2023 Sports Editor. He previously served as Digital Managing Editor and was a reporter and assistant editor on the sports desk. In his free time, he enjoys collecting records, long walks on the beach and watching Bo Nix.
