Florida Gators soccer defeats FAU 3-0

On a sweltering hot August afternoon in Gainesville, the Florida Gators soccer team faced off with the Florida Atlantic University Owls. An instate matchup with two teams that are used to competing in the Florida heat lead to the Gators winning 3-0. The Gators struggled early in the contest against the fast and tight FAU defense; trying to thread the needle on passes and missing out opportunities that usually would be booked for the Gators talented roster. That all changed with head coach Becky Burleigh made the decision to sub in Melanie Manteagudo half way into the first half of play. Manteagudo made the most of her playing time as she drained a shot from eight yards out after collecting the loose ball in the box. Finally, the No. 7 ranked team in the country was on the board.

Florida’s attacking play had FAU on their heels until the end of the first half. The Gators were getting good looks from all over the pitch, and the matchups were starting to play into their hands. Just over five minutes after Manteagudo’s goal, Meggie Dougherty Howard was granted a penalty kick by the referee—one that she would make the most of just sneaking it past the FAU keeper for the Gators second goal. The Gators were not done in the first half; Savannah Jordan made her presents felt at the very end of the first half with an incredible goal. Jordan drove into the box and was fouled by the FAU goal keeper, a foul in which she was booked for a red card. Jordan then attempted a penalty kick that was saved then driven home by Jordan off the deflection with no time left on the clock, an amazing finish to the first half of play.

The second half was scoreless, but the Gators stacked up a lot of quality shots and tries for goals. While the Gators won the contest 3-0, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Offensively, the Gator’s ball movement early in the contest was stagnant—something that they may not be able to get away with heading into a challenging part of the schedule.

The Gators finished the game with 19 shots to FAU’s three. The game against the Owls will be the last time the Gators will play at home for almost a month as they prepare for a long road trip to the west coast to face Stanford and UCLA. Two games that will test the Gators in the young 2016 season.