Florida Loses Control Late In Loss At South Carolina

After a 2-1 win against No. 22 Texas last Friday, the Florida Gator soccer seemed headed in the right direction.

However, heading back on the road Thursday, Florida saw its season-long offensive issues continue.

Matching up with the No. 23 South Carolina Gamecocks, the Gators collapsed in the final stages of a 2-0 loss.

Final from South Carolina#GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/jtIDJNMgDq

— Gators Soccer (@GatorsSoccer) October 11, 2024

Back-and-Forth Early

The Gamecocks (6-1-5, 3-1-1 SEC) made the first move, with All-American forward Catherine Barry finding multiple chances for South Carolina.

As the Gamecocks continued to mount pressure, Gators goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg made save after save to keep the score level.

Although the Gators (4-4-5, 1-3-1) found some momentum late, the first half ended 0-0 with no shots on target for Florida.

Second-Half Collapse

The next 30 minutes of the match were much of the same, with the teams struggling to find real chances in front of the goal.

Holding strong until the 78th minute, the Gamecocks finally found a crack in the Gators’ defense, heading the ball in from a corner kick.

78' | GOAAAAALLLAZZZZO!! SET PIECE PUTS THE GAMECOCKS ON THE BOARD‼️

First career goal for Emma Bucci!!

🐔 1 | 0 🐊 pic.twitter.com/0xRkVoTSLj

— Gamecock Women’s Soccer (@GamecockWSoccer) October 11, 2024

With the Gators reeling from the first goal, South Carolina continued to press forward and keep possession.

Seven minutes after the first goal, Barry was given space to take a shot outside of the box.

Her ninth goal of the season was more than enough to crush Florida’s chances.

https://twitter.com/GamecockWSoccer/status/1844541633678942247

As the final whistle blew, the Gators have yet to win consecutive SEC matches since 2021. Florida still waits for its first win against South Carolina since 2016.

Up Next

The Gators head back to Gainesville for a home game against Georgia (6-4-4, 2-2-2) at 5 p.m. Sunday (SEC Network, ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF. South Carolina goes on the road Sunday to face Ole Miss.