Gator Country

Florida midfielder/forward Lindsay Thompson brings the ball upfield during the Gators' 5-1 win against Vanderbilt on Sunday at James G. Pressly Stadium. / Gator Country photo by Casey Brooke Lawson

The No. 10 University of Florida soccer team (8-3, 2-0 SEC) finished its opening weekend of Southeastern Conference play with a 5-1 win over Vanderbilt (6-3-1, 0-2 SEC) Sunday afternoon at the James G. Pressly Stadium.

The Gators’ first goal started when Holly King saw Nicky Kit calling for the ball on the left sideline. Kit ran onto the ball and served it into the box where there were options waiting. Lindsay Thompson was at the near post, but ball continued on where Tahnai Annis tapped it in from four-yards in the 34th minute.

Shortly before the half, the ball came off VU’s Rachel Bachtel after she tried to stop Natalia Torosian’s centering pass. The deflection came right at the foot of redshirt freshman McKenzie Barney, who recorded her first collegiate goal in the 44th minute.

Barney also scored again in the 83rd minute when she put in a four-yard shot off an Annis corner kick. It was the second Sunday in a row that a Gator who scored her first collegiate goal also added another. In Florida’s non-conference season finale, Torosian scored a goal in each half of Florida’s 5-1 win over Eastern Kentucky.

Florida’s first goal of the second half came when Jessica Eicken headed in a Kit corner kick in the 52nd minute. It was Eicken’s first goal of the season and her first since she headed in the golden goal to give Florida a 4-3 OT win at Vanderbilt last season.

Freshman Erika Tymrak scored in the 66th minute when Annis send a ball across the box. Tymrak one-touched the ball in to the far post corner for her third goal of the season.

Gator goalkeeper Katie Fraine was busy earning five saves in her 77 minutes of action Sunday.

Photo Gallery: UF soccer vs Vanderbilt, 9/27/09 (click here to view gallery)

DIRECTORY OF GATOR COUNTRY PHOTO GALLERIES

About the author

Casey Brooke Lawson

Casey Brooke Lawson earned a B.S. in journalism from the University of Florida in December 2008. Lawson was born in Sarasota, Fla., but now still resides in Gainesville, Fla. Lawson picked up her first camera before she could walk, and now, 24 years later, she has made a career of her first love. She has been working as a photojournalist for eight years. She began at her high school, Sarasota High School, interned with the Gainesville Sun, Sarasota Herald Tribune, The Independent Florida Alligator and Sports Illustrated. Now, Lawson is a regularly contributing photojournalist for Gator Country. Trained in sports photography by Gator Country's own Tim Casey, sports photojournalism has become one of Lawson's favorite parts of her job.

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