GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In the afternoon's only match-up between two ranked Southeastern Conference soccer teams, Sunday's meeting between No. 20 Florida and No. 8 South Carolina at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium ended in a 1-1 double overtime tie.
SEC Race:
Five of the seven SEC matches today went overtime, with three ending in ties. With one match remaining in the SEC regular-season slate, Arkansas leads with 22 points, followed by South Carolina (21), Florida (19) and Texas A&M (19). A win equals three points and a tie is a point.
The final day for regular-season league play is Thursday. Florida will be at Georgia for the regular-season finale.
Sunday's scoring:
The Gators' goal started when
Julia Lester stepped in front to win the ball just inside the Gamecock half. She sent the ball ahead where
Deanne Rose beat two defenders to the ball and then scored on a 16-yard shot to the far post at 68:23.
The Gamecocks tied the match in 83
rd minute when Lauren Chang sent the ball ahead into the top of the Gators' final defensive third. Riley Tanner caught up with the ball, took several touches as she moved toward goal before scoring on a 14-yard left-footed shot.
For the match, Florida outshot South Carolina 17-10, with some good opportunities to add to its goal tally. One of the best chances came in the 83
rd minute when Rose's shot heading toward goal was snagged from the air by USC goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski.
Worth Noting
- This was the seventh overtime in the 33 all-time meetings between Florida and South Carolina. It was the second tie between these two programs (first was Oct. 27, 2006) and Florida leads the all-time series 22-9-2.
- Deanne Rose scored her fifth goal of the season and is now second among the 2019 Gators in goals (5) and shares second in points (12)
- Julia Lester's assist was the first point for the center back since the 2017 season and the 11th point of her career
- This is Florida's first tie of 2019, with its last tie coming in the 2018 SEC Tournament opening round (1-1 2OT versus Auburn). South Carolina has tied three of its last four matches.
Records:
Florida: 10-6-1, 6-2-1 SEC
South Carolina: 12-1-2, 6-1-1 SEC
Gator Senior Day:
Florida's seven member senior class –
Sammie Betters, Alyssa Howell, Vanessa Kara, Julia Lester, Haillie Lower, Tess Sapone, Alex Stubblebine – were honored in a pre-match ceremony. This class has been a part of the 2016 SEC Tournament title team and advanced to 2016 and 2017 NCAA play.
"Senior Day is a really big deal to us. This is a really good group. They've really done a great job of creating a culture for our team that is welcoming to new players and helping them adjust as quickly as possible. But at the same time, being willing to hold each other to a high standard. We really owe them a debt for that." – Florida Head Coach
Becky Burleigh
What the Gators Said:
On team's second half performance:
"We just came together. Second half we just came out with the energy that we should've brought from the beginning of the game." – junior
Deanne Rose
On the result tonight:
"I saw a lot of fight from our team for sure — really pushing hard to get the result. That type of effort and loyalty to one another is going to pay dividends in the long run — beyond any result. Our players played really hard for one another. We got after it and they kept getting after it. I can't fault the fight in our players today." – Florida Head Coach
Becky Burleigh
On team's mentality:
"The mentality our team had to go after it and not be satisfied with the tie is something that we will carry with us the rest of the season. That's a great mentality to have that they were not satisfied." – Florida Head Coach
Becky Burleigh
On giving an effort all over the field Sunday:
"I was giving a lot so I'm proud of myself for that, but I was getting a lot from teammates as well. I'm really appreciative of them for that. Body was tired but everybody was saying 'C'mon, what's next, keep it going.' – senior
Julia Lester
On today's result:
"It's a special day for our upperclassmen. Disappointed? Yes. But we still have Georgia next week and the games after that. Our heads aren't down at all. We are definitely pushing forward.
"[The Georgia match] It's very important, obviously. It's another game, it's the one that's next. We had this moment now. What's done is done. It's our next game so it's our most important one." – senior
Julia Lester
On her goal:
[Julia] Lester played a great ball. We had a great attacking mindset. The ball made it easy to finish and I just had to slide it by her." – junior
Deanne Rose
On first point of season:
"Honestly, it was surreal. To have everybody run up to me, I wasn't expecting it. Usually, you always run up to the person that scored. For it to be Senior Day and get that — it felt like something I really can't explain. I came into the huddle afterwards and everybody was super excited obviously It felt really good.." – senior
Julia Lester
On team's defensive effort:
"It's motivating. When I see any of the defenders making tackles, putting their bodies on the line, it makes me realize that I need to do the same thing. I need to do what it takes to get the goals because they're doing what it takes to prevent the goals." – junior
Deanne Rose
On Florida senior class:
"They're just super inclusive human beings. They are all great people and I think that's important. They all want everybody to be successful no matter if you're a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior." – junior
Deanne Rose
On Senior Day:
"Senior Day is a really big deal to us. This is a really good group. They've really done a great job of creating a culture for our team that is welcoming to new players and helping them adjust as quickly as possible. But at the same time, being willing to hold each other to a high standard. We really owe them a debt for that." – Florida Head Coach
Becky Burleigh
On team embrace of Julia [Lester] after assist:
"That's pretty cool for a senior to get an assist on Senior Day. I thought Julia really laid it all on the line for her teammates. She does that every game." – Florida Head Coach
Becky Burleigh
Next Up:
Florida travels to Athens, Ga., for a Halloween meeting with Georgia. That match is part of the SEC Network's whip-around coverage of the final evening of regular-season league action. You can also hear Kyle Crooks' call on GatorVision.
Today in Fayetteville, Georgia tied No. 6 Arkansas 1-1 2OT.
Thursday, Oct. 31 at Georgia (7-6-4, 3-3-3 SEC)
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Site:
UGA Soccer Stadium at Turner Soccer Complex
Television: SEC Network
Stream Video:
SEC Network +
Radio:
GatorVision with action with action called by Kyle Crooks
Live Stats
Admission: Free
No. 8 South Carolina (12-1-3, 6-0-3 SEC) at No. 20 Florida (10-6-1, 6-2-1 SEC)
Stadium: Donald R. Dizney Stadium (754)
Weather: 84 degrees, winds SW at 8 mph, 72% humidity
| Goals by Period |
1 |
2 |
OT1 |
OT2 |
Total |
| South Carolina |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Florida |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Scoring Summary:
Shots: South Carolina 10, Florida 17
Saves: South Carolina 8 (Mikayla Krzeczowski 8), Florida 3 (
Susi Espinoza 3)
Cautions:
Susi Espinoza-UF – yellow (80:17),
Kouri Peace-UF – yellow (104:50),
Carina Baltrip-Reyes-UF – yellow (109:14)
