Florida Gators soccer blanks UCF 2-0 to open the season

Special to GC on the Florida Gators soccer team

ORLANDO, Florida - The University of Florida soccer team opened the 2015 season with a 2-0 win at Central Florida Friday evening in front of a UCF Soccer Complex crowd of 1,126.

The first shot of Mayra Pelayo<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=123>'s career was a long-range goal. Pelayo received the ball just above the upper corner of the box. Pelayo took a couple of touches while she looked over her options. She decided to take the shot herself and her left-footed 22-yard strike scored at the far upper slot.

A header from Savannah Jordan<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2014&player_id=102> in the 61st minute pushed the Gators lead to 2-0. Pamela Begič<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2014&player_id=106> sent a cross from just above the endline to the middle of the UCF box. Jordan was able to edge her defender to head the ball in at the near post.

Worth Noting
Pelayo is the 12th Gator freshman to score in their collegiate debut. Three members of the current Gator squad are among that dozen - Claire Falknor<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=89> (2012), Jordan (2013) and Pelayo (2014).

Jordan has scored a goal in each of her three season-opening matches. Her career total of 42 goals stands No. 6 on the Gators All-Time list.

Tonight's clean sheet gave redshirt junior Valerie Tysinger<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=95> the first solo shutout of her career. Tonight was her 10th appearance in goal for the Gators but the previous appearance were all shared.

Floridas Gators soccer starting lineup included two true freshmen - Mayra Pelayo<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=123> and Rachelle Smith<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=127>. At least a pair of true freshmen started 10 of the program's 21 season openers. The all-time high for freshmen starters in the debut not surprisingly came in the program's debut year in 1995 (10). The next highest number of freshmen starting the debut match was four in 1999.

Records:
Florida: 1-0-0, 0-0 SEC
UCF: 0-1-0, 0-0 AAC

What the Gators Said:
How did you think the first match went from your view in goal?
"I didn't have to worry about a lot shots a lot because they stepped to the ball so I just worked with my feet, which was nice. At the end, Christen (Westphal) even blocked a shot for me so that was great." - redshirt junior goalkeeper Valerie Tysinger

First shot, first goal. What was that like?
"Honesty, I was looking for a cross. I guess the ball was so light that it went in. I was surprised myself." - freshman midfielder Mayra Pelayo

What did you think of Mayra's long-range goal?
I've seen her do that in practice many times so I definitely trust in her that she can do that. I think her finish was great. Her confidence was good to take that shot so I think she was really happy with that. So were we." - junior forward Savannah Jordan

Three season opening matches of your career and you've scored a goal in each one.
"Obviously, that's not my biggest goal - I'm happier that we got the win on the road on our opening weekend. But it does feel good to get that underneath me and it helps me relax a little bit in my game." - junior forward Savannah Jordan

Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida was second in the 2014 Southeastern Conference final standings with a 9-2 record. Texas A&M won the league title with a 9-1-1 record. UCF won the 2014 American Athletic Conference with its 8-1 league record.
Florida - The Gators are picked to win the 2015 Southeastern Conference title.
UCF - The Knights are picked to finish second behind Connecticut in 2015.

Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 8 on the preseason National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll<http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4158/NCAADivisionI/women/PreseasonPoll> and UCF is No. 17.

Next up:
Florida will face Ohio State for the first time in the program's 21-year history on Sunday. The Buckeyes were 6-2 winners over Illinois State in their season opener Friday in Columbus, Ohio.

Match time is set for noon at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium<http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/facilities/jesse-owens-stadium.html>. Admission is free.

Listen to Matthew Stubbington's call of the match on ESPN Gainesville 850AM/95.3FM or via the GatorZone.com stream.


No. 17 UCF (0-1-0, AAC 0-0-0) vs No. 8 Florida (1-0-0, SEC 0-0-0)

Stadium: UCF Soccer Complex (1,126)

Weather: 84 Deg. Humidity 79% Partly Cloudy Winds at 8 mph

Goals by Period
1 2 Total

Florida
1 1 2

UCF
0 0 0

Scoring Summary:
No.
Time
Team
Goal Scorer
Assist
Description

1. 31:17 UF Mayra Pelayo 
22 yard left-footed strike to far upper slot

2. 60:28 UF Savannah Jordan
Pamela Begic
6 yard header to near post

Shots: Florida 12, UCF 14

Saves: Florida 2 (TEAM 2) (Valerie Tysinger 0); UCF (TEAM 4) (Francesca Fischer 0)
Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.