Gator Soccer Beats Alabama After Dominant Second Half from Rose

The Florida soccer team returns to the win column after defeating Alabama 3-0 at home on Sunday. Florida improves to 2-1 in the SEC while the Crimson Tide remain winless in conference play. The Gator win draws them closer to South Carolina who are the only remaining undefeated team in the league at 2-0.

Sloppy First Half

The first half of the match was sloppy for both teams on the pitch. The Gators struggled to maintain possession against the press of the Crimson Tide. For the first 20 or so minutes, Alabama held the ball mostly in the Florida final third because the Gators were unable to properly clear the ball. Although the Crimson Tide had the edge, the Gator defense was able to keep their SEC rivals off the score sheet. Both goalkeepers, Kat Stratton and Kaylan Marckese had three saves. Yet, both teams combined only had eight shots.

 

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The Deanne Rose Show

Deanne Rose continues to dominate after she completed her second consecutive brace. Although she was left to chase the ball in almost the whole first half, the forward scored a header off Florida’s first corner and slotted in a shot later in the second half. This happened after the Gators managed to get off just one shot in 33 minutes during the first half.

The first two goals of the match are thanks to an improved start in the second half which also included Mayra Pelayo getting a goal off a deflection from an Alabama defender. This is an improvement over the loss against Texas A&M where the Gators gave up two goals.  However, Pelayo knows that the SEC is physical with still many matches ahead.

What’s Next

The Gators will head to Athens, Georgia to take on the Georgia Bulldogs next Sunday. Georgia is tied for dead last in the conference with Kentucky with an 0-3 record in the SEC. Florida beat Georgia last year 3-1 at home.