To the winner will go all the spoils of the Southeastern Conference women’s soccer season. The SEC champion will be decided Friday when No. 12 Florida (14-2-2, 8-1-1 SEC) visits No. 18 South Carolina (14-3-2, 8-1-1 SEC) in the regular-season finale for both teams at 7 p.m.
No. 12 Gator Soccer Defeats Arkansas 3-1
Now Faces South Carolina Friday for SEC Title
The Gators and Gamecocks each won Sunday to set up the showdown match. Florida, which will be seeking its 11th SEC title, earned a 3-1 victory over Arkansas Sunday afternoon at James G. Pressly Stadium, while South Carolina, which will be seeking its first SEC title, earned a 1-0 victory over Louisiana State.
Coach Becky Burleigh’s Gators received a stiffer test than expected from the Razorbacks (5-10-3 overall, 2-6-2 SEC).
“It was a tough game to play because Arkansas was giving us a lot of time and unfortunately, we were taking it,” Burleigh said. “We needed to push the pace a little bit more. It is always hard when you are playing against a set defense like that, where there are a lot of people behind the ball. (We were) a bit unlucky at times – hit the crossbar a couple of times, the post once. Maybe if those go in it feels a little less frustrating. I was a little disappointed with how we came out in the second half.”
The Gators started quickly, scoring in the 15th minute off a corner kick. Junior Tahnai Annis sent the ball to the middle of the six-yard box where it took a bounce right to sophomore Holly King at the far post corner where she headed the ball in for her first goal of the season.
“Tahnai kicked it perfectly and it bounced right to my head and I was able to finish it,” King said. “It feels great (to get her first goal of season). I’m always so close to getting one but never actually get it in so it was good to finally get one in.”
Florida took the 1-0 lead to the locker room but Arkansas tied the match in the 54th minute. Kelsey Allison played a diagonal ball to Ally Atkins, who took the ball down the sideline and then brought the ball into the box and beat goalie Katie Fraine with an eight-yard shot.
The Gators got the go-ahead goal and eventual game-winner in the 63rd minute. A cross from deep on the Arkansas right sideline went through the middle of the box. Annis tried to get a head on the ball but the ball kept going to Taylor Travis, who was on the corner of the six-yard box. Travis tapped the ball up to Sarah Chapman, whose low left-footed shot from 15 yards beat Arkansas goalie Britni Williams to the far-post corner. As it was for King, the goal was Chapman’s first of the year.
“I was actually wide open in the midfield, I saw the ball cross over and the header,” Chapman said. “I got in position for Taylor. I didn’t know if Taylor was going to hit the ball – she could have taken a shot herself. I was literally asking for the set and she just gave it to me right away and I just hit it. It was a simple goal.”
The Gators got an insurance goal just under five minutes later. Natalia Torosian was inside the box with the ball and sent it to Travis, who touched the ball to McKenzie Barney, who used the outside part of her right foot to redirect the ball past Williams for her 10th goal of the season, tying Annis for the team lead.
Friday’s match at South Carolina’s Eugene E. Stone III Stadium will be televised on Sun Sports. The winner is the SEC champion and gets the top seed in the SEC Postseason Tournament that will be played at the Orange Beach (Ala.) Sportsplex Nov. 3-7.
No. 12 FLORIDA 3, ARKANSAS 1
James G. Pressly Stadium / Gainesville, Fla. / Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010
Scoring 1 2—F
Arkansas 0 1—1
Florida 1 2—3
UF: Holly King (Tahnai Annis) 14:31
UA: Ally Atkins (Kelsey Allison) 53:35
UF: Sarah Chapman (Taylor Travis) 62:58
UF: McKenzie Barney (Travis, Natalia Torosian) 67:33
Goalkeepers Min Sv G
Britni Williams (UA) 90:00 1 3
Katie Fraine (UF) 90:00 3 1
Statistics UA UF
Shots 9 12
Shots on goal 4 5
Saves 2 3
Corner kicks 3 5
Fouls 4 8
Offside 2 1
Cautions: None. Records: Florida 14-2-2 overall, 8-1-1 SEC; Arkansas 5-10-3 overall, 2-6-2 SEC.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS
EASTERN DIVISION SEC (Pts)/Overall
(12) Florida 8-1-1 (25)/14-2-2
(18) South Carolina 8-1-1 (25)/14-3-2
Tennessee 6-3-1 (19)/9-8-1
(25) Georgia 5-2-3 (18)/10-4-4
Vanderbilt 4-4-2 (14)/8-8-2
Kentucky 3-5-2 (11)/9-7-2
WESTERN DIVISION SEC/Overall
Auburn 4-4-2 (14)/10-6-2
Louisiana State 3-4-3 (12)/6-8-4
Mississippi 3-4-3 (12)/7-8-4
Alabama 3-5-2 (11)/8-7-2
Arkansas 2-6-2 (8)/5-10-3
Mississippi State 0-10-0 (0)/7-12-0
RESULTS
Sunday / Oct. 24
Florida 3, Arkansas 1
South Carolina 1, Louisiana State 0
Auburn 2, Georgia 1
Tennessee 1, Alabama 0 (2 OT)
Kentucky 5, Mississippi State 1
Mississippi 3, Vanderbilt 2
Thursday / Oct. 21
Florida 2, Louisiana State 0
Georgia 3, Alabama 0
South Carolina 3, Arkansas 1
Tennessee 1, Auburn 0, OT
Mississippi 2, Kentucky 1, OT
Vanderbilt 2, Mississippi State 0
SCHEDULE
Friday / Oct. 29
Florida at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Kentucky, 7 p.m. (FSN)
Georgia at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Arkansas at Louisiana State, 8 p.m.
Mississippi at Mississippi State, 8 p.m.
Alabama at Auburn, 8 p.m.
End of regular season
SEC WOMEN’S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Orange Beach (Ala.) Sportsplex / Nov. 3-7, 2010
Current seedings
Rn/Team SEC record, Points, GD (GF-GA), GF
1. South Carolina 8-1-1, 25 points, +20 (26-6), 26
2. Florida 8-1-1, 25 points, +19 (26-7), 26
3. Tennessee 6-3-1, 19 points, +3 (13-10), 13
4. Georgia 5-2-3, 18 points, +7 (12-5), 12
5. Vanderbilt 4-4-2, 14 points, 1 (10-9), 10
6. Auburn 4-4-2, 14 points, 0 (14-14), 14
7. Louisiana State 3-4-3, 12 points, +1 (10-9), 10
8. Mississippi 3-4-3, 12 points, -7 (12-19), 12
(Out of tournament)
9. Kentucky 3-5-2, 11 points, -3 (13-16), 13
10. Alabama 3-5-2, 11 points, -4 (9-13), 9
11. Arkansas 2-6-2, 8 points, -2 (17-19), 15
12. Mississippi State 0-10-0, 0 points, -35 (5-40), 5
SCHEDULE
Wednesday / Nov. 3
Match 1: No. 7 seed vs. No. 2 seed, 1 p.m.
Match 2: No. 6 seed vs. No. 3 seed, 3:30 p.m.
Match 3: No. 8 seed vs. No. 1 seed (SEC Champion), 6 p.m.
Match 4: No. 5 seed vs. No. 4 seed, 8:30 p.m.
Friday / Nov. 5
Match 5: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner, 6 p.m.
Match 6: Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday / Nov. 7
Match 7: Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner, 3 p.m. (ESPNU) (Winner is SEC Tournament champion and NCAA Tournament automatic qualifier)
RANKINGS
For the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I poll, click below:
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-soccer/division_i1.html
For the latest Soccer America poll, click below:
http://www.socceramerica.com/article/40019/soccer-america-womens-top-25.html
For the latest Top Drawer poll, click below:
http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer/college-soccer-tournament-ranking/women
For the latest Soccer Times poll, click below:
http://www.soccertimes.com/ncaa/top25/women.htm
For the latest 2010 RPI rankings, click below:
http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weeklyrpi/2010WSOrpi1.html