Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Florida
Cowgirls Fall To 10th-Ranked Florida
September 08, 2013 | Cowgirl Soccer
Sep 8, 2013
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Oklahoma State suffered its first loss of the season Sunday as 10th-ranked Florida knocked off the Cowgirls, 2-0, at James G. Pressly Stadium.
With the loss, OSU fell to 3-1-2 on the season, while the Gators got a pair of goals from Havana Solaun to improve to 5-1-0.
“We played against a really, really good Florida team – their possession play was fantastic, and their movement off the ball was great,” said OSU head coach Colin Carmichael. “In the first half, we had a hard time coming to grips with their movement. We made a little change in the second half, changed our shape a little bit, and it helped. In the second half, we competed a little bit better.
“But coming here on a Sunday after our exertions on Friday was probably just a little bit too much for us.”
Florida took an early 1-0 lead, getting a goal in the 11th minute as the Gators connected on a pair of passes before Solaun delivered a shot from 12-yards out past OSU goalie Rosa Medina.
OSU's best scoring chance in the opening half came in the 26th minute. After a cross by Kelsey Bass, Krissi Killion flicked a header ahead. Madison Mercado was there, but UF goalie Taylor Burke charged and made a play on the ball just outside the six-yard box to thwart the opportunity.
Late in the opening half, Mercado recorded the Cowgirls' only official shot in the first 45 minutes, taking a cross from Bass and delivering a shot from 15-yards out that was saved by Burke.
Florida doubled its lead less than seven minutes into the second half. Following a scrum near the top of the 18-yard box, UF's Annie Speese won the ball and sent a pass to Solaun, who blasted a shot into the back of the net from 20-yards out to put the Gators up, 2-0.
OSU had a late opportunity to avoid being shutout for the first time this season, but with just over a minute left, Courtney Dike had an eight-yard shot deflected away by a sliding Florida defender.
Florida finished with 17 shots in the match, while the Cowgirls were officially credited with just three, but OSU owned a 7-3 advantage on corner kicks.
“In the second half, especially, we at least caused them some issues and a couple of times got in on some set plays and had a couple of looks on goal,” Carmichael said. “But ultimately, (Florida) deserved to win – they were the better team. I do think the high number of minutes we played on Friday (vs. Florida State) affected our energy levels.
“But we'll regroup and get ready for Penn State on Friday.”
OSU returns to action Friday when the Cowgirls host nationally ranked Penn State. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at the Cowgirl Soccer Complex.
