Through six straight home games, the No. 7 Florida soccer team played to its preseason expectations. The team went 5-1 during the stretch – an overtime loss to FSU the sole blemish on the record.
More importantly, last weekend, the Gators opened Southeastern Conference play with a pair of strong victories against Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
Now it’s time for Florida to pack up again and head to Mississippi for games against Mississippi State (Friday night at 8) and Mississippi (Sunday afternoon at 1). For younger players, like freshman midfielder Erika Tymrak, this trip will be just their second away weekend.
The first—which included losses to Indiana and UCLA—wasn’t something to remember. But Tymrak knows what the team can do differently this time.
“We can’t control the refs, the field and the weather, but we can control our attitudes on and off the field,” she said at practice Monday.
She has learned to control some of the physical side effects of traveling, balancing a tough 90 minutes of soccer with stretching and ice baths to alleviate the stiffness.
Head coach Becky Burleigh stressed the mental aspect of being on the road over the physical side of it.
“I don’t think it’s a physical thing, playing on the road,” Burleigh said. “I mean, it’s a little bit different, riding on buses and not sleeping in your own bed, but it’s mostly a mental thing. It’s mostly just making sure that you’re ready to play, that you adjust to a different routine.”
To make her team feel more comfortable, Burleigh gives them a lot of freedom. She expects that through their last experience – and maybe through a little bit of trial and error – her young players will find the feel of the road.
Some players, she said, prefer to sleep more; some like to stay busy. Either way, the team only has a few scheduled activities – a walkthrough on the field, a run, warm-ups before each game and some time in the pool Saturday.
Sometimes that freedom can be good for the coaches, too.
“Sometimes home is stressful with families in town and recruits always coming to visit,” Burleigh said. “Sometimes being on the road gives you a rest from all that. Sometimes I like it, going on the road, because there are less distractions.”
As a freshman, Tymrak still enjoys the road.
“It was really fun – traveling makes you really feel like a Gator, and it’s nice being with all the girls,” she said. “It’s hard with school and stuff, but my teammates and coaches help out a lot.”
Some upperclassmen, such as senior Lauren Hyde, align away from Burleigh and the freshmen.
“I think it’s a lot more fun for the freshmen than the upperclassmen,” Hyde said. “After freshmen year, I was kind of over it. But I know that everyone likes traveling, and after three home weekends, I think we are all ready to hit the road again and win some games.”
As a leader on the team, Hyde is trying to help the freshmen forget about the away weekend.
“I don’t feel nervous,” she said. “I think that away weekend is in the past. I think we’ve definitely learned from that and hopefully come out with two big wins.
Instead, she wants the freshmen to bring the intensity of those two SEC wins on the road. She and Burleigh know how hard it can be to win in Mississippi.
“Every time we’ve played at their places, we’ve had a hard time,” Hyde said. “Neither place is easy. From that standpoint, we have to be ready. We’ve lost at Mississippi State, we’ve lost as Mississippi, we’ve tied – it’s important for us to know that we’re not just going to roll up in the bus and be fine.”
TOROSIAN UPDATE: Florida freshman Natalia Torosian, who suffered a hip injury in an airborne collision against Vanderbilt goalkeeper Rachel Bachtel Sunday, returned to practice Monday.
“It felt like someone was hitting me with a hundred tiny hammers when I woke up,” she said. “I’ve never gotten hit that hard before.”
She also said that she hasn’t seen the replay yet, but she can’t wait.
THRILLER: For part of a video to be played at this year’s Gator Growl, the Gators soccer team has been practicing the famed Michael Jackson “Thriller” dance.
If you think Burleigh only cares about intensity during soccer, you’d be wrong.
“I want freestyle,” she cried out to the team. “I need more attitude.”
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
EASTERN DIVISION
SEC Pts. Div. ALL Pct.
Florida 2-0-0 6.0 2-0-0 8-3-0 .727
South Carolina 2-0-0 6.0 2-0-0 10-0 1.00
Georgia 1-1-0 3.0 0-0-0 8-1-1 .850
Tennessee 1-1-0 3.0 0-0-0 5-4-1 .550
Kentucky 0-2-0 0.0 0-2-0 3-4-3 .450
Vanderbilt 0-2-0 0.0 0-2-0 6-3-1 .650
WESTERN DIVISION
SEC Pts. Div. ALL Pct.
Louisiana State 2-0-0 6.0 0-0-0 6-2-2 .700
Mississippi 1-0-0 3.0 1-0-0 7-2-0 .778
Alabama 1-0-0 3.0 1-0-0 5-3-0 .625
Auburn 1-1-0 3.0 1-1-0 4-3-3 .550
Arkansas 0-2-0 0.0 0-0-0 6-2-2 .700
Mississippi State 0-2-0 0.0 0-2-0 8-2-0 .800
RESULTS
TUESDAY, SEPT. 29
Alabama 1, Mississippi State 0
SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, OCT. 2
Georgia at Kentucky, 7 p.m.
Florida at Mississippi State, 8 p.m.
South Carolina at Mississippi, 8 p.m.
Louisiana State at Alabama, 8 p.m.
Tennessee at Vanderbilt, 8 p.m.
Arkansas at Auburn, 8:30 p.m.
SUNDAY, OCT. 4
Tennessee at Kentucky, 12 p.m. (CSS)
Florida at Mississippi, 1 p.m.
Louisiana State at Auburn, 2 p.m.
Arkansas at Alabama, 2 p.m. (FSN)
South Carolina at Mississippi State, 2 p.m.
Georgia at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m.
NSCAA/ADIDAS DIVISION I RANKINGS
As of Sept. 29, 2009
Rank/School Record Pts Prv
1. North Carolina (22) 9-0-1 814 1
2. Stanford (11) 10-0-0 803 2
3. UCLA 8-1-1 744 3
4. Portland 9-1-0 729 4
5. Florida State 9-1-0 701 5
6. Boston College 9-1-0 619 6
7. Florida 8-3-0 594 10
8. South Carolina 10-0-0 550 12
9. Wake Forest 8-2-0 511 7
10. Notre Dame 7-3-0 510 14
11. Santa Clara 8-3-0 433 9
12. Purdue 6-2-2 401 15
13. Rutgers 8-1-2 372 17
14. California 6-2-0 338 8
15. Ohio State 8-1-1 326 21
16. Texas A&M 6-4-0 275 13
17. St. John’s 8-1-1 250 23
18. Virginia 6-2-2 233 11
19. Arizona State 7-1-2 189 RV
20. Michigan State 7-0-2 185 RV
21. UCF 6-3-1 139 22
22. Georgia 8-1-1 111 16
23. Louisiana State 6-2-2 108 NR
24. Maryland 8-2-0 91 18
25. San Diego 6-3-1 90 24
Others: Washington State (7-2-0) 85, Kansas (8-2-1) 79, Charlotte (8-2-0) 51, Brigham Young (8-2-1) 46, Connecticut (7-3-0) 42, Southern California (7-3-0) 40, Oklahoma State (7-4-0) 38, Indiana (8-3-0) 30, William & Mary (8-2-0) 28, Illinois (5-3-2) 23, Villanova (8-1-2) 22, Washington (6-2-1) 13, Oregon State (7-2-0) 11, Denver (7-3-1) 10, Virginia Tech (8-2-0) 10, Miami, Fla. (6-5-0) 8, Georgetown (7-2-2) 5, Oregon (7-1-1) 4, Loyola Marymount (7-3-1) 1.