The Gators now have one win under their belts as they defeated Iowa State 5-2 Friday night at James G. Pressley Stadium on opening weekend.
Florida soared to a 4-0 lead at the start of the game before Iowa State could get a shot in. The first goal came from sophomore midfielder Mayra Pelayo with an assist from senior Savannah Jordan, who finished the game with three assists. The next three goals were scored by Sophomore midfielder Melanie Monteagudo, Sarah Troccoli, Meggie Dougherty-Howard and Savannah Jordan herself.
#Gators win!
Goals:
Pelayo
Monteagudo
Troccoli
Dougherty Howard
Willer-ISU
Medelberg-ISU
Jordan#GoGators pic.twitter.com/QQqNEVIWFX— Gators Soccer (@GatorsSoccer) August 20, 2016
Iowa state put up a fight with two goals on goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese, but it was not enough to hold off the Gators. Iowa state finished with a total of six shots while Florida had a whopping thirty shots on Iowa State’s goal. Head Coach Becky Burleigh says “it was great to see the diversity in our attack… I think that is going to be the theme going forward.”
Florida will have a quick turn around and only a day of rest before they welcome Florida Atlantic University on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the second game of the regular season. The Owls won their first game of the season Friday night as well with a 2-1 over Southern Utah in Boca Raton, FL.