The Gators have been getting quite a bit of production from their freshman class as of late.
Former Buchholz High School star Havana Solaun, who scored both UF goals in a 2-0 win at Ole Miss on Friday, saved the day again for the Gators in Fayetteville, Ark. on Thursday night. Solaun struck a pass from Lindsey Thompson past Arkansas goalie Emily Lillard to give the Gators a 2-1 win over Arkansas in overtime.
Even with the game-winning score in the net, the UF team had a bit of a delayed reaction in celebrating the win, possibly due to a rash of offsides penalties called against the UF offense on the evening.
“At first, everyone was silent because it seemed everyone was staring at each other. We weren’t sure if it was a goal or not,” Solaun said of her score. “Once we realized it was a goal, then everyone ran onto the field. It was awesome.”
The No. 13-ranked Florida Gators soccer team (13-4, 6-2 SEC) remain tied at the top of the SEC standings following the victory at Razorback field. South Carolina defeated LSU to keep pace with Florida, while the Tigers moved a game back. Georgia tied Auburn in two overtimes on Thursday to drop a half-game behind both the Gators and Gamecocks.
Coming off a loss to Mississippi State last Sunday, Gators head coach Becky Burleigh said this week that efficiency and putting the ball in the back of the net was something the team needed to work on before traveling to Arkansas. However, the Florida side once again found themselves in a quick hole, just as they did against the Bulldogs earlier in the week. A goal by Arkansas forward Allie Chandler quickly put the Hogs up just three minutes into the contest.
“That game started out a little bit like Groundhog’s Day,” UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh noted following the Arkansas win. “It was a very, very difficult bunker to penetrate. They were going to sit on that lead by putting numbers in their box. So for us, it was a matter of keeping possession of the ball, trying to get the ball out wide and trying to serve balls in. That’s not an easy game to play. We were in the same position on Sunday and we couldn’t get a goal so I was happy to see us turn things around today.”
The Gators started an aggressive attack following the Arkansas score, with six shots on goal in the first 20 minutes of the game. However, Lillard would turn away five of those six scoring opportunities by UF in the first half.
Despite a total of five offside calls by the Gators, the Florida offense kept their patience, and finally tied the score 1-1 in the 79th minute with a goal from another greenhorn—Gator midfielder/defender Brooke Thigpen. The Jacksonville native converted off of a free kick for UF. Jo Dragotta was credited with the assist on the scoring opportunity.
“It was a smart play – Jo (Dragotta) was out there and I believe Erika (Tymrak) was with her,” Thigpen said. “It was really smart play because they noticed that only one person was out there defending them so they played it short. Jo got down to the end line and served a great ball on the ground right across the six. Kat (Williamson) dummied it and I was right there at the end of it.”
The game remained tied at the end of regulation, but overtime would not last long. The Gators broke the draw just 1:25 into the extra period on the goal from Solaun, earning a 2-1 win against Arkansas.
Florida will return home this weekend to face LSU at James G. Pressley Stadium at 2 PM on Sunday.
Gator Country reporter Michelle Provenzano can be reached at michellemprovenzano@gmail.com. You can also follow her on twitter, @mmprovenzano.