The No. 5 University of Florida Gators soccer team (4-1-0) traveled to Stillwater, Oklahoma today to face the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (2-3-1). Yet another road test against a talented team for head coach Becky Burleigh’s team. The first half proved to be sloppy and sluggish as both teams had decent tries for goal but nothing doing; it wasn’t until the second half of Sunday’s game that both teams hit stride and pushed through multiple goals making this contest interesting and a learning experience for both teams.
Florida defeated Oklahoma State 7-2 on Sunday night.
First Half
Florida had four shots in the first half to OSU’s five. Both teams struggled to get the ball in the net and neither team played aggressively enough to make realistic pushes for tries for goals. The Gators started the game by trying to thread the needle with long passes and long shots; a strategy that sometimes works, did not today.
Second Half
The Gators got on the board first on a goal by Melanie Monteagudo on an assist by Dougherty Howard in the 47th minute of the game.
Monteagudo’s goal came as the first of many second half goals.
A goal by Savannah Jordan just minutes after the first goal put the Gators up 2-0. The assist goes to Gabby Seiler.
Monteagudo scores again; her second goal in eight minutes and the Gators are up 3-0 fresh out of the locker room in the second half.
OSU scores to cut the Gator lead to 3-1 in the 63rd minute.
Kit Loferski scores for the Gators less than a minute after OSU’s first goal. 4-1 Gators.
Savannah Jordan scores her 6th goal of the season on an assist from Sammie Better in the 67th minute. 5-1 Gators
OSU scores in the 78th minute to trim the lead to 5-2 Gators.
Gators score again in the 79th minute to score their 6th goal of the second half and it was Mayra Pelayo who recorded her second goal of the season. 6-2 Gators.
Pelayto was not done as she pushed the final goal of the game through in the 87th minute to give the Gators a 7-2 victory.
The Gators will continue their road contests on Thursday as they travel to Lexington, Kentucky to face the Kentucky Wildcats and open up conference play.