UF Soccer: Florida and South Florida Tie 0-0 2OT
Courtesy of University Athletic Association
BY MARY HOWARD
Florida and South Florida soccer played to a scoreless tie on a perfect Saturday evening at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium. It was the second tie in the nine-match all-time series.
Opportunities to score were there for both teams. USF’s Sydney Nasello hit the crossbar in the 10th minute. Midway through the opening half, UF’s Susi Espinoza made a diving save on Meghan Cavanaugh’s shot.
In the 57th minute, freshman Beata Olsson’s cross was headed by senior Madison Alexander, but the shot was just high. Alexander had another opportunity less than a minute later, but her hard shot from the left wing was saved by USF’s Sydney Martinez.
Both goalkeepers recorded three saves. It was Florida’s first shutout of the season and USF’s third.
Florida played the final 36 minutes a man down after sophomore Cameron Hall received her second yellow card of the match. It was a hard-fought match, with UF edging USF 20-18 in fouls. Six yellow cards (five to UF) were shown Saturday.
Senior Day:
Saturday was Gator Soccer Senior Day. Florida celebrated the careers of eight players in a pre-match ceremony:
* Madison Alexander
* Carina Baltrip-Reyes
* Susi Espinoza
* Lauren Evans
* Kit Loferski
* Ashley Pietra
* Parker Roberts
* Deanne Rose
National Rankings:
South Florida currently ranks No. 18 by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Records:
Florida: 3-7-2, 1-6-1 SEC
USF: 2-0-1, 1-0 AAC
All-Time Series Record:
Florida leads 6-1-2
What the Gators Said:
After tonight’s result:
“The story of the match was our ability to stay disciplined and stay focused, especially when we went down to 10 players. We really had to absorb some pressure and be very disciplined in what we were doing defensively and hope to counter out of that.
“It is always hard in our sport to get excited about a draw. But what we are really excited about is the shutout. We’ve been searching for an elusive shutout for quite some time. To get a shutout with 10 people, that’s not easy to do.” – Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
Tonight’s result:
“I’m really proud of the team getting the shutout. That is something we’ve been focusing on this entire spring – getting everyone from front to back to defend as a unit. To do that with a man-down was impressive, so that was a good way to finish the game.” – senior Madison Alexander.
On Senior Day:
“I’m not really an emotional person but deep down it was emotional. I think everyone was playing for each other. This night was dedicated to the seniors so it was really special.” – senior Madison Alexander
Next Up:
Play versus in-state competition continues when No. 1 Florida State comes to the Dizney Stadium for an exhibition match. That event begins at 3 p.m. and admission is free but capped at 368 to ensure social distancing.