No. 7 Florida Soccer Falls 3-0 to Georgia in SEC Tournament Semifinal

11/7/08

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. –The No. 7 Florida soccer team (17-3-1, 11-0 SEC) saw its 13-match win streak end with a 3-0 loss to Georgia (11-9-1, 7-3-1
SEC) in Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinal action Friday at the Orange Beach Sportsplex. It was the first time in the program’s 12 SEC Tournament semifinal appearances that it didn’t advance to the final.

The Bulldogs will face Tennessee (9-10-2, 5-5-1 SEC) in Sunday’s final.
The Lady Vols advanced with a 4-2 penalty kick advantage after tying LSU
1-1 2OT in Friday’s first semifinal. Advancing to the final keeps NCAA Championship hopes alive for both programs. The winner of the SEC Tournament receives the league’s NCAA Championships’ berth. Only teams with records of .500 or better are eligible for the tournament’s at-large berths.

Florida was behind early Friday after the ball went off the leg of freshman Jazmyne Avant and scored for UGA at 2:57. It was the first own goal given up by the Gators this season.

UGA used two set-play goals to push the lead to 3-0 in the second half.
The ball ended up at the feet of Bailey Powell at the top of the box off a corner kick. Her shot scored as it dipped just under the crossbar in the 53rd minute. Six minutes later, the Bulldogs were awarded a free kick 25 yards above the UF goal. The ball served up by Kelli Corless found the foot of Megan Tomlinson and she scored from the top of the six yard box.

UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh thought the Gators played hard Friday, but Georgia made the most of its opportunities.

“In terms of the way we played, we really didn’t play that poorly.
Georgia was opportunistic as far as us giving them an own goal early.
And then they scored off terrific set pieces,” Burleigh said. “I give credit to Georgia for scoring the goals but in terms of the way we actually played, I’m not disappointed. I thought we fought hard the whole game.

Florida had its opportunities to score, but couldn’t finish any of them Friday. In the 31st minute, Lindsay Thompson served the ball into the box, just missing the head of Megan Kerns at the center of the goal.
Later in the half, Kerns led Ameera Abdullah with a pass from the top of the box. Abdullah ran onto the ball on the left side of the box and took a 12-yard shot from a sharp angle, but UGA goalkeeper Michelle Betos made the stop. With the final seconds ticking off in the opening half, Ashlee Elliott sent a 35-yard cross into the middle of the box. Kerns couldn’t quite get to the ball before Betos ended the play.

In the 55th minute, Kerns led Abdullah with a pass down the center of the box. Betos and Abdullah collided on the shot attempt, ending the threat. Abdullah had another opportunity in the 67th minute, taking a shot from deep in the UGA box, but her shot hit the near post. Later in the half, Nicky Kit served a ball from 30-yards into the center of the box, but Kerns couldn’t get a touch on it before Betos ended the play.

“We created a lot of chances. We hit the cross bar a couple of times, had some balls across the face of the goal a couple of times,” Burleigh said. “I’m not unhappy with the amount of we created but we’ve got to do a better job of finishing.”

Florida returns to Gainesville to await the release of the 2008 NCAA Championship. The 64-team field will be revealed on Monday, Nov. 10 between 8-8:30 p.m. on ESPNews. Florida has advanced to the NCAA Championship field 11 times since the program’s first season in 1995.

Scoring Summary: 1st 2nd Final
Georgia 1 2 3
Florida 0 0 0

Scoring:
UGA: Own goal 2:57
UGA: Bailey Powell (unassisted) 52:34
UGA: Megan Tomlinson (Kelli Corless ) 59:38

Goalkeepers:
Minutes Saves GA
Georgia Michelle Betos 90:00 5 0
Florida Meghan Berlingo 90:00 6 3


Statistical Summary: UGA UF
Shots 13 12
Shots on goal 9 5
Saves 5 6
Corner Kicks 3 2
Fouls 4 5
Offside 7 1