UF Beats Colorado in Soccer
September 14, 2009 by Mat Houchens
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UF soccer coach Becky Burleigh said after Friday’s victory over Duke that her team is built to play better in the second half. Sunday, at home against No. 20 Colorado, Mother Nature helped the No. 14 Gators get an early start.
After a back-and-forth match through 39 minutes, the sun ducked behind darkened clouds and the rain fell. With the field forming puddles and turning into its own version of the swamp, Florida glided to a 3-1 victory.
Two minutes after the first rain drops fell, Holly King took a throw-in from defender Jazmyne Avant near the right sideline. The freshman King turned on a Buffaloes defender and fired a long 25-yard shot that bent over keeper Kara Linder and fell into the far-left side of the net, giving King her first collegiate goal.
“I knew the keeper was off of her line, so I had to get it over her head,” King said. “I just turned and shot it and got it right where I wanted it.”
Moments after the goal the rain disappeared, leaving behind a soaked field that kept the ball wet and the air increasingly humid. That didn’t stop the Gators from compiling their typical strong play in the second half, but it seemed to drain the energy from Colorado.
Three minutes into the second period, freshman Erika Tymrak took a pass from roommate Brooke Thigpen and launched an 18-yard straight shot into the hands of Linder, who bobbled the sure-catch into the air, over her head and onto the ground. Linder dropped down as the ball approached the goal line and attempted to clear it out, but inadvertently pushed the ball in as it straddled the line. The goal was credited to Tymrak on a goalie miscue, but nearly was ruled an own-goal.
“The ball was definitely wet (in the second half),” said Gator keeper Katie Fraine. “… The balls that we use skip when they’re wet instead of rolling. I had to remind myself of that.”
Senior Lindsay Thompson scored the third goal for Florida (5-2) in the 54th minute on a long breakaway run that finished with a 15-yard shot to the left of Linder. The goal was Thompson’s second of the weekend.
Colorado (4-3) negated the shutout in the 80th minute when Kate Russell put in a 32-yard free kick against a group of Gator reserves, including backup keeper Kendall Graham.
“For some of our players, it was their first game action ever and I never thought that would have happened against a team as good as Colorado,” Burleigh said. “That says a lot about our team that we could be in that position.”
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