LEXINGTON, Ky. – The seventh-ranked Florida women’s soccer team opened Southeastern Conference play Friday with a 2-0 victory at Kentucky. The Gators scored two second-half goals, with Tahnai Annis picking up an assist and then the goal on the soggy night.
Florida improved to 7-1-1 overall, while Kentucky fell to 6-3. The Gators visit Vanderbilt (4-4-1, 0-0-1 SEC) on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. The Commodores opened with a 0-0 double-overtime tie with South Carolina.
Senior Katie Fraine recorded the shutout with three saves.
After a scoreless first half, Florida opened the scoring at 46:08 when Erika Tymrak’s 10-yard, left-footed shot found the far corner of the goal. The scoring play occurred after Florida counterattacked following a Kentucky free kick just above the Gator box. Three players started up the field with Annis in the middle. Annis fed the ball to Tymrak, who was moving down the left side of the box and Tymrak’s shot completed the scoring play.
“Tahnai started to take it down the middle of the field. I heard Alan (Kirkup, UF’s assistant coach) yell ‘Take off Erika!” so I started sprinting,” Tymrak said. “Tahnai’s defender committed to her and when that happened, Tahnai slipped it to me.”
It was Tymrak’s second goal of the year, with both goals coming this month in road action.
With just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Ashlee Elliott shot the ball from above the 18-yard box and was it was deflected high into the air and across the mouth of the goal by McKenzie Barney and a UK defender. Annis headed the ball to the far post corner at 80:43, scoring her fifth goal of the season.
“The ball got played across the box and the ball got headed up into the air. I saw an opportunity so I jumped as high as I could, just hoping to get something on it. I did and was able to lob it over the keeper,” Annis said.
This was the first match of the season where the Gators encountered rain. The rain started just when the teams came out to warm up and continued through much of the first half. A short break in the weather was followed by another burst of rain which started during halftime and lasted about 10 minutes into the second half.
“The conditions did present a different environment for us than what we’ve had for the past few weeks. But I thought our team dealt with the slippery field and the wet ball pretty well,” Florida coach Becky Burleigh said. “What I liked about this game the most is that we really didn’t take our foot off the gas. We kept pushing, pushing, pushing even after we scored. A win on the road in SEC play – we’ll take it any day and any way we can.”
The Gators outshot Kentucky 16-4, with an 8-1 edge in corner kicks.