No. 14 Florida Soccer Defeats Alabama 2-0

10/9/09

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A goal in the opening 10 and final 10 minutes of the match gave the No. 14 University of Florida soccer team (9-4-1,
3-1-1 SEC) a 2-0 win over Alabama (5-5-1, 1-2-1 SEC) Friday evening in front of a crowd of 1,059 at the James G. Pressly Stadium.

Florida scored early in the opening half when Florida’s top two point leaders connected in the box. Lindsay Thompson scored from 10 yards off the pass from freshman Brooke Thigpen.

“Brooke Thigpen got the ball wide and she passed me the ball between their two defenders,” Thompson said. “I just got the ball, turned and shot back post.”

It was Thompson’s eighth goal of the season, setting her career-high for goals in a season. She has turned in a goal in three of Florida’s five SEC matches in 2009.

The Gators’ final goal started when senior Lauren Hyde brought the ball from the Florida half to just above the Alabama box. She saw freshman Erika Tymrak open on the left and sent the ball ahead where Tymrak finished it with a six-yard tap-in.

“Lauren gave me the most perfect ball - it was so perfect that it probably would have been hard for me to miss it,” Tymrak said. “She basically dribbled it the whole field and I was open, so she slotted it to me. I tried to stay composed and place it in at the corner.”

The goal was her fourth of the season and second of the last four matches.

The shutout was Florida’s first since the 3-0 win over Florida International on Aug. 28. UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh liked the defensive performance Friday, but saw room for improvement from the Gator attack.

It’s been a while (since we’ve had a shutout). In terms of a defensive performance, that was very dominating. I felt that they had very little offensive threat. In terms of our offensive performance, it was a little disappointing. There just was not enough execution in the services and in the runs in the box,” Burleigh said. “I’m really pleased with how we controlled the match and took charge of the match.”

The Tide were without their goals and points leader junior Victoria Frederick, who was sidelined Friday with an illness.

The Gators meet Auburn Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. (ET). It’s Florida Senior Day at Pressly Stadium and the Gators’ six-member senior class will be honored in a pre-match ceremony. The first 500 fans receive trading cards featuring Florida’s senior class.

Sunday’s match will be broadcast on SUN Sports with the Voice of the Gators Mick Hubert and Matthew Stubbington calling the action. The match can also be heard live on AM 850 WRUF or via simulcast on Gainesville/Ocala Cox Cable channel 946 and www.GatorZone.com. Adam Schick and Mike Gillespie will cover the action Sunday.

Scoring Summary: 1st 2nd Final
Alabama 0 0 2
Florida 1 1 2

Scoring:
UF: Lindsay Thompson (Brooke Thigpen) 6:20
UF: Erika Tymrak (Lauren Hyde) 80:56


Goalkeepers:
Minutes Saves GA
Alabama Justine Bernier 90:00 9 2
Florida Katie Fraine 90:00 1 0


Statistical Summary: UA UF
Shots 4 21
Shots on goal 1 11
Saves 9 1
Corner Kicks 2 9
Fouls 5 5
Offside 2 2