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