Florida Gators soccer defeats UCLA in OT

Just two days after losing a heartbreaker in overtime to Stanford, the Florida Gators soccer team got back on track Sunday evening with a thrilling 4-3 win of their own over the UCLA Bruins; a much needed win to cap off the Gator’s trip to the west coast.

The win was definitely a team effort, but much of the success can be traced back to the three time All-American and reigning SEC Offensive player of the year Savannah Jordan.

It was Jordan who headed in a cross in just the second minute of the game, a fast start for the No. 6 Florida Gators.

Not to be outdone, the Bruins quickly countered two minutes later with an equalizer in a game that had the looks of a battle early on.

The Gators then went ahead off the leg of Sarah Troccoli in the 16th minute of the contest; a lead they carried into halftime in Los Angeles.

When the second half began, the Gators fatigue began to set in. Sloppy passing lead to a goal drought for the Gators in the second half.

While the Gators were searching for good looks for goals, the Bruins capitalized in the 64th minute with a timely header off a perfect cross—the game was tied yet again.

Just four minutes later, the Gators committed a foul in the box that gave UCLA’s Jessie Fleming a chance for a go-ahead goal off of a penalty kick, one that she would make the most of as she blasted the shot into the back of the net to give the Bruins the 3-2 advantage.

With the momentum shifting in the Bruins favor, the Gators seemed tired and deflated after such a strong start to an important game.

Then, out of no where seemingly, Savannah Jordan headed in a shot that would ignite a fire in the once tired Gator team.

The header sent the game into overtime, a position that the Gators were familiar with after their game on Friday against Stanford.

In college overtime, there is a quick 20-minute golden goal period played, meaning, if your team scores, you win.

If you don’t score within the allotted 20-minute time frame, then the game is scored as a draw.

Luckily for the Gators, a wonderful cross sent into the box was deflected off of two Bruin players and in the net for a game winning golden goal.

The Gator bench erupted in a moment of relief and nostalgia. The Gators were victorious 4-3 over the No. 15 ranked Bruins, a big win for Becky Burleigh’s team in this young season.