ORANGE BEACH, Alabama - A goal in each half gave the University of Florida soccer team a 2-1 win over No. 8 seed Vanderbilt Wednesday in Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal action at the Orange Beach SportsPlex. The win sends top-seeded Florida to Friday's semifinal round, where it will meet Auburn.
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| 2015 SEC Tournament Schedule |
| Play-in Matches (Nov. 2): |
| Match 1 at 4:30pm ET: | [7] LSU 2, [10] Kentucky 1 |
| Match 2 at 7 pm ET: | [8] Vanderbilt 2, [9] Georgia 1 |
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| Round of Eight (Nov. 4): | | | | |
| Match 3 at 1pm ET: | LSU 2, [2] Missouri 1 |
| Match 4 at 3:30 pm ET: | [6] Texas A&M 2, [3] Mississippi 0 |
| Match 5 at 6 pm ET: | [1] Florida 2, Vanderbilt 1 |
| Match 6 at 8:30 pm ET: | [4] Auburn 2, [5] South Carolina 2 (AU 5-3 PK) |
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| Semifinal (Nov. 6): | | | | |
| Match 7 at 4:30 pm ET: | Florida vs Auburn |
| Match 8 at 7 pm ET: | LSU vs Texas A&M |
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| Final (Nov. 8): | |
| Match 9 at 2 pm ET: | Match 7 winner vs. Match 8 winner |
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Vanderbilt ended the Gators' two-match shutout streak when All-SEC second team selection Simone Charley used the ability that made her a track All-American to score in the 10th minute. She ran down a ball free just above the Florida 18 yard box and then moved right. Her 17-yard angled shot scored at the far post at 8:04.
Florida tied the match in the 25th minute. Freshman Gaby Rivera, who just entered the match three minutes earlier, brought the ball from the right to just above the Commodores 18-yard box. She crossed the ball to Meggie Dougherty Howard about seven yards above the box. The hard shot from Dougherty Howard from 25 yards was deflected in by Savannah Jordan's right foot from seven yards.
The game-winning goal came off Florida's 15th corner kick of the match. Senior Christen Westphal sent the ball to the near post where junior Pamela Begič headed it in.
Worth Noting:
· The goal tonight gives the SEC scoring leader her 20th goal of the season. It also moves Jordan into sole possession of the No. 4 position on the Gators and SEC career charts with 61 goals.
· Begič turned in her fourth goal of the season and her second consecutive, as she also scored in Florida's regular-season finale at Georgia on Oct. 30. The four goals equals her career season-high total set in 2013.
· Westphal ups her SEC-leading assists total to 11 on Begič's goal. Dougherty Howard's assist also pushes her collegiate season-high total to seven in 2015.
· Today's win sends Florida to the SEC Tournament semifinal round for the 18th time in the program's 21-year history.
What the Gators Said:
What were some of the keys to tonight's win?
“We were aware of the threat of the counter [from Vanderbilt] but thought our defenders did a really good job to make sure that wasn't a factor. But mostly it was the patience of keeping the ball and sticking to what we do despite the fact that that Vanderbilt was giving a tremendous defensive effort.” – Florida head coach Becky Burleigh
And the two goals by the Gators?
“Those two [Savannah Jordan and Meggie Dougherty Howard] have connected really well this season so it was exciting to see a goal there. Also great to see Pam [Begič] score off again another great service from Christen [Westphal].” – Florida head coach Becky Burleigh
Was Begič in match to use her height on the corner kicks?
“She is always a threat because of her height, but she also does a really good job of keeping the ball for us. That's what we needed because it was such a set defense that they had. We needed people that could unlock the puzzle.” – Florida head coach Becky Burleigh
How did the team handle falling behind in the first half?
“The big thing is that we've been there before. I think this is one of the most resilient teams I've ever coached. We've had to come back from behind over and over. So when that happened, think they thought 'we've been here before and we can handle this'.” – Florida head coach Becky Burleigh
Records:
Florida: 15-3-1, 8-2-1 SEC
VU: 9-8-4, 4-4-3 SEC
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 5 on the November 3 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
Next up:
SEC Tournament semifinal action is next for the Gators. Florida meets Auburn at 4:30 p.m. ET at the Orange Beach SportsPlex. The Tigers advanced with a 5-3 advantage in penalty kicks after playing South Carolina to a 2-2 double overtime tie.
Both of Friday's semifinal matches air live on the SEC Network. All of Florida's matches can be heard on GatorZone.com. All matches also available on WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.
No. 5 Florida (15-3-1, 8-2-1 SEC) versus Vanderbilt (9-8-4, 4-4-3 SEC)
Stadium: Orange Beach SportsPlex
Weather: 71 degrees, 96% humidity, cloudy, winds 4mph
| Goals by Period | 1 | 2 | Total | | |
| VU | 1 | 0 | 1 | | |
| Florida | 1 | 1 | 2 | | |
Scoring Summary:
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Shots: Florida 24; VU 7
Saves: Florida 0 (Kaylan Marckese 0); VU 9 (Christina Ogunsami 9)
Cautions: Simone Charley/VU- yellow (87:36)
