Florida Gators soccer defeats Vanderbilt on the road

Special report on the Florida Gators soccer team:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Florida soccer earned a 3-0 win over Vanderbilt on a rainy Sunday afternoon at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex.

It was Vanderbilt’s first loss of the Southeastern Conference season. Sunday’s match featured two teams among the SEC leaders. With the win, Florida moves to a tie for second in the league standings with 15 points off its 5-1 SEC record while Vanderbilt drops to fourth with 13 points with a 4-1-1 record.

How the Goals Were Scored:
Florida’s first goal came when Mayra Pelayo and Deanne Rose connected in the eighth minute. Pelayo’s cross to the far side of the box was just over a Vanderbilt defender’s head. Rose took a touch to control and then put the ball in the far post netting. The goal was Florida’s fourth in the opening 10 minutes of play this season.

Rose put in her second goal in the 60th minute. She brought the ball down the right side of Vanderbilt’s box. The VU keeper came off her line and Rose placed it to the far corner from 14 yards.

Rose also played a part in Florida’s third goal. She drew a penalty kick in the 77th minute which Gabby Seiler successfully converted for the Gators’ second goal of the half.

UF’s Kaylan Marckese made one save Sunday, but it was a key stop to preserve the shutout. Midway through the opening half, Marckese made a point-blank stop on Stephanie Amack’s eight-yard header off a Commodore corner kick.
For the match, Florida led 15-4 in shots. Florida earned its seventh shutout of the season Sunday.

Worth Noting

*         Rose’s two goals Sunday extends her UF season lead to eight and she now leads UF in points (20).

*         Sunday was Rose’s third double-goal effort of the last three matches.

*         Seiler scored her sixth goal of the season and the seventh of her two seasons with the Gators.

*         Marckese turned in her fourth solo shutout of 2017 and the 18th of her career.

*         This was the first meeting between the two teams since the 2015 season.

Records:
Florida: 11-2-0, 5-1 SEC
Vanderbilt: 9-4-1, 4-1-1 SEC

What Becky Burleigh Said:
On today’s win:
“I think it was a good opportunity for us to show some toughness considering the conditions. I think once we got it to the ground and kept it there, that was really challenging for Vanderbilt. We did a really job of doing that to start the game and in the second half as well.” – – Florida Head Soccer Coach Becky Burleigh

On Deanne Rose’s performance today:
“Deanne was a lot for Vanderbilt to handle. She created the penalty, scored two goals and had a couple more opportunities.

“Her family was there too, so that is awesome they got to see that kind of performance.” – Florida Head Soccer Coach Becky Burleigh

Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida tied for third in the 2016 SEC regular-season standings and won the SEC Tournament title. The Commodores tied for sixth in 2016 SEC action at 5-5-1 and posted a final record of 9-9-1.

*         Florida – The SEC coaches picked the Gators to win the 2017 Southeastern Conference title<http://floridagators.com/news/2017/8/14/florida-is-picked-to-win-in-sec-soccer-coaches-preseason-vote.aspx?path=soccer>.

*         Vanderbilt – The Commodores are picked to place eighth in the SEC.

Rankings:
Florida ranks No. 9 on the United Soccer Coaches poll<http://unitedsoccercoaches.org/web/Rankings/College_Rankings/NCAA_DI_WOMEN/web/rankings/ncaa/di_women.aspx>.

Next up:
Florida returns home to play host to No. 16 Florida State (8-3, 3-2 ACC) Thursday. The match was originally scheduled for Sept. 8, but Hurricane Irma’s approached required the match to be rescheduled. Match time is set for 6 p.m. ET at the James G. Pressly Stadium<http://floridagators.com/facilities/?id=4>.

Florida State lost 2-0 at No. 4 Duke Sunday.

The first 250 fans Thursday receive a Gator soccer performance t-shirt.

Watch Thursday’s action on SEC Network + or listen to Kyle Crooks call on GatorVision.com<http://floridagators.com/watch/?Live=858>.

Florida (11-2-0, 5-1 SEC) at Vanderbilt (9-4-1, 4-1-1 SEC) at

Stadium: Vanderbilt Soccer Complex (352)

Weather: 75 degrees, winds E 17 mph, 91% humidity

Goals by Period

1

2

Total

Florida

1

2

3

Vanderbilt

0

0

0

Scoring Summary:

No.

Time

Team

Goal Scorer

Assist

Description

1.

7:23

UF

Deanne Rose

Mayra Pelayo

Short shot at far post off cross

2.

59:09

UF

Deanne Rose

Shot from 18yds w/ keeper off line

3.

76:33

UF

Gabby Seiler

Penalty kick

Shots: Florida 15, Vanderbilt 4

Saves: Florida 1 (Kaylan Marckese 1), Vanderbilt 4 (Taiana Tolleson 4)

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.