The #11-ranked Florida Gators soccer team (10-3-0, 3-1-0 SEC) finished last weekend with two more wins under their belt, beating Vanderbilt and Kentucky, and will face another weekend of SEC rival teams starting Friday against #22-ranked Auburn (9-2-1, 3-1-0 SEC) at James G. Pressly Stadium at 7 PM.
The Gators are supporting Breast Cancer Awareness at this Friday’s match, where the first 400 fans will receive pink “Kicking for the Cure” t-shirts and the team will warm up in the same color as well. The event strikes the team personally, as both head coach Becky Burliegh and junior forward Erica Tymrak have relatives who have dealt with the disease.
“My mom was always so positive throughout it and that positivity is something we will show at this weekend’s matches,” said Burleigh.
Tymrak added, “we are honored to be representing it and raise awareness for the cure, and we are going to dedicate this weekend to everyone affected by breast cancer.”
Auburn comes to town with an impressive resume—which includes a 4-0 win on September 2 against current #4-ranked Duke. Senior midfielder Katy Frierson leads the Tigers with 15 points on the season through 12 games. Although she has only converted 3 of her total of 37 shot attempts into goals, Burleigh noted that Frierson is still a player the Gators will have to keep an eye on heading into Friday night.
“She is one of the best players in the league and we respect her. Katy, when pressed, can really bring in the whole team and it shows in her [SEC-leading] 9 assists, she is definitely a player to be reckoned with,” said Burleigh.
Burleigh noted that Frierson and Tymrak—both of whom played on the U.S. Under-23 national team in June—are explosive offensive players, but have their own ways of getting the job done.
“[The] danger in [their] strikes and their ability to score goals and make great assists,” is what makes them similar, Burleigh noted. She went on to add that the two players “have a different style of play,” however.
The Gators are coming to this weekend’s games with and added level of confidence, as they were able to finish shot opportunities and successfully shut out Kentucky with a 3-0 win.
As for what the Gators need to work on for this weekend, Erika Tymrak pointed to one thing in particular.
“We need to focus on keeping the ball and maintaining passes for the 90 minutes,” she explained.
Junior defender Kathryn Williamson and freshman midfielder Annie Speese (SEC freshman of the week) will be key players in accomplishing that task.
With Auburn and Alabama (Sunday, 3:00 PM) coming to town this weekend, the Gators hope to continue to their record as one of the top draws in the country. Florida’s crowds – 2,541 versus Vanderbilt and 2,271 versus Kentucky – were the nation’s best for last weekend. Presently, UF is the #3-ranked programs in the country in terms of attendance, with an average of 2,834 fans in the seats at Pressly Stadium per match.
In addition to the t-shirt giveaway to honor breast cancer awareness against Auburn, the Florida Women’s Lacrosse, Basketball, and Softball teams will compete in a “relay race for the cure” at halftime of the match.
Gator Country reporter Michelle Provenzano can be reached at michelleprovenzano@GatorCountry.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mmprovenzano