Florida earns 1-1 tie at Duke; No. 1 Tar Heels next

DURHAM, N.C. – The No. 5 Florida soccer team ended No. 17 Duke’s shutout string but had to settle for a double-overtime 1-1 tie Friday night on the first day of the Duke Nike Classic at Koskinen Stadium.

“When you are on the road and you are getting a tie in a tough game – not that’s what we are looking for – but sometimes it is just a learning experience. This was one of those times,” Florida head coach Becky Burleigh said. “Obviously one thing we need to learn is to close out games. When teams are down, they are going to start knocking the ball long and try to disrupt our rhythm. We’ve got to get a hold of the ball and keep it on the ground. That’s hard to do under a lot of pressure and that’s an area that needs improvement.“

The Gators (6-0-1) got on the board first when Mckenzie Barney, the reigning National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) national and Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week, headed home a 23-yard shot by freshman Taylor Travis that went off the crossbar. It was Barney’s team-leading sixth goal of the season.

“This is the best feeling to share with your family and your teammates,” said Travis, whose family and friends made a 20-minute trip from nearby Cary, N.C., to cheer her and the Gators on. The goal also ended a Duke shutout streak of 448 minutes spanning six matches.

Barney’s goal came early in the second half at 52:30 and the Gators looked like they were headed to victory until Laura Weinberg poked home a feed from Kaitlyn Kerr to tie it at 88:42 for Duke (5-1-2). It was the second time the Gators lost a 1-0 lead in the 89th minute. Florida State did that to the Gators last week in Tallahassee but Florida got a golden goal from Barney 15 seconds into overtime to escape with a 2-1 victory.

Florida goalie Katie Fraine made five saves in 110 minutes of action and was particularly effective in overtime as Duke outshot Florida 7-1 for a final 21-15 edge. Duke also had a 7-2 edge in corner kicks, plus Florida was carded 14 times while Duke only had just two fouls.

Next up for the Gators is a Sunday afternoon meeting with No. 1 North Caroline (7-0-1) at noon. North Carolina thumped Middle Tennessee State 7-1 in the opening match Friday.