Fans were getting impatient Sunday night at James G. Pressly Stadium. Calls of “Come on!” and “Wake up!” began to fill the early evening air as turnovers mounted and fans’ frustrations grew.
Mayra Pelayo squared up an Alabama defender on the right wing and darted toward the end line. She played a cross, trying to pick out one of multiple teammates in the box.
After earning a free kick nearly 45 yards from goal, Texas A&M junior defender Kendall Ritchie stood over the ball and surveyed the field.
Parker Roberts received the ball in space above the Iowa State box six minutes into extra time. After nearly getting the ball stuck under her feet, Roberts peeked upfield in time to pick out the streaking Deanne Rose. Roberts’ perfectly weighted diagonal pass found Rose’s left foot in the box. Rose dinked the ball over the Cyclone keeper and into the back of the net. Golden goal. Game over.
After interconference play took the Gators to Ames, Iowa, UF (7-1) once again finds itself traveling westward as it takes on Texas A&M (4-2-1) on Thursday.
Sophomore transfer Parker Roberts, a former Kansas Jayhawk, knew heading into the weekend that Florida’s road game against Iowa State would present a unique challenge.
Melanie Monteagudo lost her defender with a quick turn towards the goal line. She delivered a cross into the middle of Mississippi box that found Mayra Pelayo’s left foot seven yards from goal. The junior midfielder found the back of the net just five minutes into play, scoring her first goal of the season.
For the No. 7 Gators, tonight’s matchup is a return to normalcy.
After a feverish ending to a matchup with Stanford that saw a barrage of shots and crosses into the Gators box in the final minutes, UF goalie Susi Espinoza had one more obstacle to face: the press.
UF defender Gabby Seiler made a darting run into the Portland box.
Washington forward Kimberly Keever patiently waited on the near sideline in the Gators’ half of the field, holding the ball over her head, directing traffic to get her teammate in space for a throw-in. She hurled it a solid 20 yards, then watched as the ball bounced another 10 until it came within striking distance for fellow senior Shannon Simon.
The Florida soccer team is taking its new No. 2 ranking to Seattle this weekend to play in the Husky/Nike Invitational.
Gabby Seiler knows how to be versatile.
Courtney Brosnan guessed wrong.
After a midfield volley from junior midfielder Sarah Troccoli found the control of Briana Solis’ left foot just 20 yards from goal, she couldn’t help but notice the streak of a white jersey cutting across the middle of the box.
Lais Araujo sprinted straight for the Florida bench. The UF midfielder leapt into the arms of her sidelined teammates and was surrounded by pink pennies just seconds after scoring the decisive goal against No. 1 Stanford.
Tonight’s clash at Dizney Stadium will feature two of the most talented rosters in collegiate women’s soccer as No. 1 Stanford (2-0) travels to No. 8 Florida (2-0).
Redshirt senior Gabby Seiler began her collegiate career as a Georgia Bulldog in 2013. She did not wait long to begin to make her name known in the soccer world.
Playing forward at the University of Florida means having to live up to the legacy of players like Abby Wambach and Savannah Jordan. But only two games into the season, Florida may have found a perfect fit in freshman Deanne Rose.
On a scorching Sunday afternoon, the No. 7 UF soccer team came out nearly as hot as the weather did in a 5-0 shutout against Troy at James G. Pressly Stadium.
Solutions by The State News
