Gator Soccer Settles for 1-1 Draw Against Kennesaw State

A Gator soccer clean sheet streak came to an end on Sunday night when Kennesaw State and Florida drew 1-1. Florida dominated the offensive side of the game against Kennesaw State, but the Owls escaped with a tie.

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Despite their offensive dominance, the Gators were unable to capitalize on their chances and failed to score a winning goal during the second half. The draw marks the end of a three-game winning streak for the Gators, who were hoping to continue their impressive run of form.

Although the Gators still remain undefeated, the team must regroup and refocus for their upcoming matches. The team will need to make some adjustments in order to ensure that they can continue their winning streak and achieve their goals.

First Half Highlights

With massive momentum coming into the game after a dominating 8-0 victory over Stetson the previous weekend, the Gators faced the Owls with tremendous vigor.

Florida’s defense was one to look for considering they had a clean sheet that was untouched until Sunday’s match. During the first half, the Gators’ back line played intelligently, not allowing the Owls many chances.

Kennesaw State looked for any way to break the Gator defense in the first 15 minutes of the game. During this time, Florida’s scouting was solid and consistently closed down Kennesaw State’s midfielder and captain, Teresa Wowk.

Wowk used her patience and skill to find small openings in the defense and make quick passes to her teammates. However, Florida adjusted and shut down the Owls’ attack. This led to the Gator goal of the game, scored by Megan Hinnenkamp with an assist from Tori Grambo.

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Second Half Highlights

Kennesaw State’s freshman Anabel Orozco’s substitution after halftime changed the game’s pace for the Owls. The Owls were no longer defensively focused and strengthened their midfield in order to create more chances offensively. In the 24th minute, Orozco created a solid chance, cutting back and sending a perfect delivery to sophomore Aila Swinton who assisted Agata Giani in finding the back of the net.

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There were opportunities for the Gators to score another goal. During the 77th minute, Julianne Leskauskas’ shot from distance was blocked at the far post by Owls goalkeeper Allanah Blyel.

At the end of the match, Florida coach Samantha Bohon said she was not happy with a tie.

“Honestly, I’m really disappointed,” she said.  “I felt like we were flat for a good bit of the game. I think our game plan and what we knew would work proved to be true. We just had a really hard time executing. I felt like we lost the midfield a little bit in that second half and we ended up having to change formations. We then kept possession better, but that took a number out of the attack for us and we’re pushing to try and get a goal.”

Up Next

On Thursday, the Gators will continue their three-match road trip to close out the non-conference schedule with a match against Charlotte.  The two programs are meeting for the first time. Charlotte (2-2-2, 0-0 AAC) and Virginia Tech tied 1-1 in home action on Sunday.