Redshirt junior midfielder Parker Roberts stepped up to the penalty spot and saw someone she hadn’t seen all night: backup Florida State goalkeeper Brooke Bollinger.
Florida’s soccer team returned from Los Angeles late Sunday night after a winless weekend. Then-No. 1 Florida State was in LA as well over the weekend and left with two losses against UCLA and Southern California.
One team had just lost to the No. 5-ranked USC Trojans. The other had just beaten the No.1-ranked Florida State Seminoles.
Coach Becky Burleigh and Florida’s soccer team have struggled against USC in recent years. They came out victorious in the first three meetings between the two powerhouses but lost the next two by a combined score of 4-0.
Florida’s soccer team is in the middle of a five-match road trip. This stretch features five top 25 opponents, three top 5 opponents and a contest against the No. 1 Florida State Seminoles.
Junior forward Deanne Rose played in only 10 out of the 21 games for Florida’s soccer team in the 2018-19 campaign. She recorded two goals while playing 718 minutes last year due to national team commitments with Canada.
Florida soccer coach Becky Burleigh still has a plethora of weapons at her disposal this season despite losing 11 seniors, including four that started in the 1-0 overtime loss against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament semifinals that ended Florida’s 2018-19 campaign.
Florida’s soccer team had a disappointing 2018-19 campaign. The Gators made it to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2017 but finished with a losing record for the first time in program history last year.
Twenty six players.
One current Gator and three former UF soccer players represented their countries at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which concluded on Sunday with a victory for the United States.
The United States Men’s National Team’s stunning 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 10, 2017, put the organization in a state of disarray.
The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup is underway, and UF is represented by a current player and three former Gators. Forward and rising junior Deanne Rose, along with UF alum Adriana Leon, are representing the Canadian national team in Group E. Meanwhile in Group C, former Gators Lauren Silver and Havana Solaun are representing Jamaica.
With 24 teams representing six continents, women’s soccer’s premier tournament returns this week in France with the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Follow River Wells on Twitter @riverhwells and contact him at rwells@alligator.org.
Seven wins, 10 losses, and four ties.
Kaylan Marckese finally ran out of magic.
The Florida Gators’ sideline stormed onto the field when time ran out, cheering and shouting as subs greeted the players on the pitch. A Vanderbilt player sat defeated on the grass, weeping into her shirt as the Commodores’ SEC Tournament appearance came to an end Tuesday night.
Florida goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese looked Auburn forward Rocio Sanders in the eye like a boxer staring down her opponent at the weigh in. Sanders had to convert this shot to keep Auburn’s hopes in the SEC Tournament alive.
The Gators (6-9-3, 4-4-2 SEC) certainly seemed inspired by the pre-match ceremonies to honor their seniors when they came out in the first half. It was just the 10th minute when midfielder Briana Solis hit a screamer from 20 yards out for her fourth career goal, putting UF up 1-0 early.
It has been a long time since the Florida soccer team faced a Senior Day like this.
Solutions by The State News
