Scoring chances were easy to come by for the Gators last weekend.
Goals, on the other hand, were not so simple.
During a two-game weekend road trip through the Magnolia State in which the Gators defeated Ole Miss and fell to Mississippi State, Florida was dominant in every aspect of the game but one: finishing.
In a 2-0 win Friday night, No. 11 Florida outshot Ole Miss 16-3.
While freshman midfielder Havana Solaun scored a goal in each half, coach Becky Burleigh felt the Gators were not efficient and should have converted more chances.
The struggles were more evident Sunday against Mississippi State, as Florida could not find the back of the net while taking 16 more shots.
The Bulldogs, who scored in the opening minute, escaped with the win.
After the early goal, the Bulldogs played conservatively and kept several players behind the ball.
Burleigh said the Gators did a good job of infiltrating the defense, but they could not score.
Burleigh attributed the inability to convert scoring chances to general execution and a lack of awareness around the net.
In situations where the opposing keeper gives up a rebound that is controlled by the Florida offense, Burleigh would like to see her players take the time to make a pass to the side for an easy tap-in, rather than shooting as soon as they control the rebound.
After last weekend’s struggles, Burleigh said finishing will be a focus this week in practice.
“Ultimately, the psychological part of finishing is something where you work on your mechanics to make it so you don’t have to think when you are facing an opportunity,” she said.
Making the correct runs, playing good services and setting teammates up were some of the areas Burleigh mentioned as points of emphasis as the team prepares to take on Arkansas on Thursday night.
Senior midfielder Sarah Chapman said players need to put themselves in the right mindset to finish.
Added Burleigh: “We need to be able to take care of teams no matter what the circumstances, no matter how many people they put behind the ball. Right now, we do that sometimes, but not all the time, and that’s not good enough for us to be where we want to be.”
