Florida Soccer Handles Kennesaw State At The Diz

The Florida Gators soccer team bounced back from their 3-0 loss to Florida State on Sunday in style Thursday.

Florida again played in a 3-0 game, but this time it was the Gators who came out on top against Kennesaw State.

With the Florida midfield looking much more comfortable despite rainy conditions in Dizney Stadium, the Gators (3-1-3) dispatched the Owls (0-6-1) with little trouble.

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— Gators Soccer (@GatorsSoccer) September 13, 2024

Danger On The Wings

A change in the starting lineup was in order after the disappointing performance against the Seminoles. Getting the nod at right wing was Delaney Tellex, a move that didn’t take long to pay dividends.

In the match’s 11th minute, a great passing exchange ended with midfielder Madison Jones finding Tellex on the run down the outside. Tellex produced a thumping near-post finish.

The shot deflected off Owls goalkeeper Aryana Rosenblum, who couldn’t keep it out as it went off of the crossbar and in to make it 1-0.

Tellex got in behind several other times as well, and mostly chose to cross, although she did have another shot saved by Rosenblum in the first half.

And her partners on the wing, left wingers Njeri Butts and Vera Blom, also got in on the act.

In the first half, Butts came on for Blom and made things happen. She got into shooting and crossing positions, forced some corners and drew a penalty kick, which was converted by midfielder Oakley Rasmussen to make it 2-0 Florida.

And in the second half, Blom came back on and scored a beautiful goal in no time.

She cut back inside onto her right foot and curled it into the bottom right corner perfectly to score Florida’s third of the night.

The three wingers were simply too much for Kennesaw State to handle.

Midfield On Lockdown

A big difference in this game from the one with Florida State was the battle of possession, which was won by Florida. In fact, Kennesaw State was barely able to escape its own half for the majority of the match.

The Florida press was suffocating for the Owls, who simply could not hang onto the ball.

Whether it was stealing the ball in the Kennesaw State half or forcing a throw-in via on-ball pressure, the Gators refused to give the Owls an inch in the midfield.

And not only did the Gators midfield hold the ball for the majority of the 90-minute match, they also created chances.

They played long diagonal balls to find the wingers in plenty of space, and also didn’t hesitate to shoot from outside the box. With the weather conditions, any hard shot could have turned into a huge chance.

Midfielders Charlotte McClure and Rasmussen each forced saves on shots from outside the box.

Behind their strong play, the Gators were able to string together several opportunities and eventually take advantage.

Up Next

Florida will hit the road to Fort Myers for a 1 p.m. matchup Sunday with Florida Gulf Coast (1-4). Kennesaw State will host UTEP on Thursday.