Gator Country

Florida junior forward/midfielder Angela Napolitano brings the ball upfield during the Gators' 5-1 win against the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Sunday at James G. Pressly Stadium / Gator Country photo by Tim Casey

Five goals by four different Gators, including two goals by senior Ameera Abdullah, gave the No. 16 Florida soccer team (7-2-1, 2-0 SEC) a 5-1 win over Tennessee (3-7, 0-2 SEC) Sunday afternoon in front of a James G. Pressly Stadium crowd of 1,679. Florida’s goal total Sunday was its second-highest offensive output of the season. UF posted a 6-1 win versus Nebraska on Aug. 31.

Photo Gallery: UF Soccer defeats Lady Vols 5-1, 9/28/08

Abdullah’s first score of the match was set up when the Gators played some give-n-go up the left flank. Tahnai Annis was able to break free of her defender and brought the ball into the box. She touched the ball to her right where Abdullah chested it in at the far post at 18:17.

She struck again in the 29th minute when she received the ball from the midfield and started her drive down the left side. Abdullah then entered the box and hesitated to force her marker off balance. A couple more touches later, she placed her 10-yard shot in the upper corner at the far post.

The two goals was the fourth multi-goal match of her Gator career and pushed her to 53 career points off of 20 goals and 13 assists. She is the 14th Gator to pass the 50-career points mark in the program’s 14-year history.

Florida’s third and final goal of the half came in the 39th minute when Angela Napolitano found the ball loose in the box. She placed it in at the near post from five yards for her third goal of the season.

Second half scoring started when Tennessee’s Emily Dowd was fouled in the box in the 64th minute and the Lady Vols were awarded a penalty kick – the first against the Gators this season. Senior Kylee Rossi scored on the attempt for her fifth goal of 2008.

Florida pushed the advantage back to three goals just over three minutes later when Ashlee Elliott saw freshman Lindsay Thompson calling for the ball in the box. Elliott sent the ball in from 30 yards where Thompson finished it with a five-yard header at the far post corner. It was Thompson’s second goal of the season.

Laura Ray turned in the first goal of her collegiate career in the 82nd minute. Megan Kerns’ pass found Ray near the top of the box. She touched the ball once and then sent a low shot into the center of the net.

Next up, Florida continues action versus SEC Eastern Division rivals when it travels to meet Vanderbilt on Friday, Oct. 3. Match time is set for 8 p.m. (ET) at the Vanderbilt Soccer Complex. Vanderbilt opened SEC action with a pair of losses to Alabama (2-0) and Auburn (3-2).

Photo Gallery: UF Soccer defeats Lady Vols 5-1, 9/28/08

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About the author

TimCasey67

Tim Casey covered the 2007 BCS Championship Game, 2007 Final Four, 2005 College World Series and 2008 Women's College World Series. He’s had photos published in Sporting News magazine, GQ magazine, SI.com, ESPN.com and nearly every newspaper in the state of Florida. Now he's home as Gator Country's Photography Editor.

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