Freshman Midfielder Abbott Gives Florida Soccer Strong Building Block

When you hear of the Florida soccer team, you think about SEC domination and the 1998 NCAA championship. You think of renowned coach Becky Burleigh. You think about legendary players such as Danielle Fotopoulous, Heather Mitts and Abby Wambach.

Now, the program is trying to return to its glory days. Gators coach Samantha Bohon just finished her third year at the helm and is working to rebuild the program. She has done well recruiting both high school talent and college transfers from the portal.

One of Bohon’s newest arrivals stands out. Not only with how she performs on the pitch, but how she got there. Her story personifies her character, perseverance and grit.  That player is freshman defensive midfielder Norah Abbott. 

This season, Abbott was one of the best players in the Gators’ midfield. Her ability to do the dirty work defensively and connect play offensively was a huge boost for the Gators. 

“Usually, there’s a learning curve to start as a freshman, especially in her role,” Bohon said.  “Once we saw physically where she was, I mean, we always knew she was going to be a player that would help us.

“Her mentality is incredibly tough, especially for a freshman.”

When on the attack, Abbott had the ability to open up in space and be an option going forward. On defense, the freshman would cover passing lanes, intercepting the ball and winning possession back for the Gators.

Abbott, 18, is not only a player Bohon and the Gators can build around, she was one of the team’s best right away. It’s difficult picturing this Florida team without her, however, Abbott initially didn’t think she would have made such an impact this season. She played in every game this season, making 12 starts.

She made her debut at home against Western Carolina on Aug. 16, registering 37 minutes as a substitute in Florida’s 2-0 win. Her first start came three weeks later against the Gators’ biggest rival, Florida State, when she also played her first complete 90-minute game. 

The true freshman registered 1,088 minutes for Florida, eighth most on the team and second highest among freshmen. Only senior Lauren Donovan played more minutes in the midfield. 

“Her goal [initially] was to make the travel roster,” her mother, Nicole Abbott, said. 

Bohon is impressed with Abbott and believes the midfielder did even better than what the coaching staff were expecting of her in Year 1. The Florida coaching staff had confidence in the midfielder.

She is someone who will lead this Gators team in the future.

Early Beginnings

Abbott, who is from Florence, S.C., began playing soccer at the age of 3. She started with 3v3 at a local recreational league. 

“It’s a mess, it was complete chaos,” exclaimed her mother. “She was so competitive … if she didn’t have the ball, she would yell at her teammates.”

This competitiveness led to Norah scoring more than 10 goals a game. As her daughter’s coach, Nicole, 51, recalls how it wasn’t a good look.

As the years continued, Nicole understood Florence did not have the infrastructure to develop and help Norah continue growing in the sport. The next step was to drive to Columbia, a big city an hour away. 

When Nicole asked her daughter if she wanted to make the long trip to continue playing the sport, Norah was all for it. 

In Columbia, Norah didn’t immediately dominate her competition.

“At 8 and 9 [years old], that’s when the switch went on,” Nicole said. 

Taking Next Step

As Norah’s ability grew, so did her aspirations. In middle school, Abbott understood she could get to the next level if she continued to put in the work.  

The defensive midfielder dreamed about playing for IMG Academy, a private boarding school in Bradenton that educates and trains student athletes, preparing them for college. 

When her mother researched the academy, she noticed the price.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” Nicole said. That dream would have to be put on hold. 

Fast forward to the end of Norah’s freshman year of high school, she had a soccer tournament around Bradenton. After Norah and her mother were in their Airbnb, a hurricane passed through the area and the tournament was canceled.

“One day I was googling IMG for some random reason, and we were two miles away,” Nicole said. “I said [to Norah] ‘Hey, do you want to tour IMG?’ She said, ‘OMG, yes!’” 

She was then invited back the following day. Because Nicole still had the Airbnb booked, it wasn’t a problem. Then, she received a call after the training session.

“We need to talk to you,” Nicole recalled the camp director saying. “We want her.”

IMG and Nicole were able to work it out, and Norah’s dream came true. She was officially playing for IMG Academy. 

Three months later, Norah spoke to her mother on the phone. With tears in her eyes, Nicole remembered what her daughter said: “Mom, I looked down at my shirt and I see the IMG sign and I can’t believe I’m here.”

Abbott was at IMG from her sophomore year until she graduated high school.

Taking Her Talents to Gainesville

Although Abbott was playing for her dream club and gaining international experience, there was still one thing she had to start thinking about: college. 

Luckily, that wasn’t a problem. Abbott was training on the side with former Gators midfielder Sarah Chapman, who played for UF from 2008-11. Chapman reached out to Bohon, who had just started her tenure as head coach, and recommended taking a look at the young player. 

“[Chapman] was like, ‘Hey, I’ve been training this kid individually, doing one-on-one sessions,’” Bohon recalled. “‘She’s got a lot of these really cool, kind of gritty and tangible things that you should take a look at.’”

Bohon then went to watch Abbott play at IMG. After one game, she knew Abbott was her kind of player. 

Abbott was offered to take an official visit to Florida. It didn’t take her a long time to realize that she wanted to play for the Gators.

“Florida was my very first visit I ever took and I just kind of knew,” she said. “Once I stepped on campus, I was like this is where I want to be.”

She was speaking to other programs, including South Carolina. 

“That’s home for me, but I wanted something new, a new experience, a new environment,” she said.

Then, very early on Abbott committed to Florida.

https://twitter.com/GatorsSoccer/status/1722597335912399167

Gator Country

But the road to Gainesville didn’t come without setbacks. Abbott tore her ACL while playing for IMG during her junior year. Immediately after finding out the diagnosis, Norah and her mother sat down and decided to call Bohon and tell her the bad news, fearing the worst.

“It didn’t even phase [Bohon],” Abbott said.  She was like ‘You have so much time before you get here, you’re going to be OK,’ which put me at ease.”

Bohon was not worried one bit. Injuries happen. It’s a part of being a soccer player.

“If anybody is going to bounce back quickly from this, we’d put our money on Norah,” Bohon said.

With her offer from Florida still on the table, Abbott relaxed and focused on recovery. Instead of choosing the quickest option to get back on the field in six to eight months, the freshman chose the long option. She was away from the game for 14 months, returning in the spring of her senior season. 

A few months later, Abbott began training with the Gators in the Summer B term. She left a strong impression on her teammates and coaching staff from the jump.

“I heard from multiple players, maybe even after that first week, how much they loved Norah,” Bohon said. “The word that they just kept using was fierce and warrior. She just made that impression right away.”

The Florida staff was also surprised with how explosive Abbott was after tearing her ACL. Usually, that is one of the attributes that takes a player a while to get back when returning to the field. 

Florida’s Future

Florida finished its season Oct. 30 at home against Tennessee. Although the Gators didn’t make the SEC Tournament, finishing 4-8-6, the program has a bright future. 

Teammate Vera Blom earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team. The Swedish winger led Florida with three goals and also earned an assist. Ryleigh Acosta and Skye Barnes are two other freshmen who the Gators can look forward to in the future. Both players earned valuable minutes for Florida. Acosta appeared in nine games earning 209 minutes, while Barnes appeared in eight games totaling 217 minutes.

The Gators can also look forward to the return of Megan Hinnenkamp. The sophomore forward didn’t play this season after suffering a season-ending injury in the summer. She started all 17 matches for the Gators in the 2023 season and led the team in scoring with eight goals.

“I feel that the program is on the up and up,” Nicole said. “I hope that Norah will get to experience and be a part of that growing process. Hopefully, they will be able to reap the hard work that they are putting in now.”