Florida Defeats Eastern Kentucky

Boxscore

Two goals each from a pair of freshmen helped the No. 7 University of Florida soccer team (6-3, 0-0 SEC) to a 5-1 win over Eastern Kentucky (3-6, 0-0 OVC) Sunday afternoon at the James G. Pressly Stadium. Sunday’s match was the final of Florida’s non-conference schedule.

The only goal of the opening half started when Sarah Chapman, standing at midfield, sent a ball forward to Nicky Kit on the left touchline. Kit chested a square ball to freshman Natalia Torosian located just outside the box. Torosian took a couple of touches to bring the ball just above the box and took a right-footed strike that scored at the upper slot of the goal. It was the first collegiate goal for Torosian.

EKU started the scoring in the second half when junior Carly Muller received the ball deep in the Florida half. She brought the ball in the box and hit a 15-yard shot to the far post in the 53^rd minute for her first goal of the season.

In less than a minute, Florida saw the match go from a tie to a two-goal advantage. Torosian added her second goal of the day at 66:04 off an 18-yard left-footed strike that scored at the far post. Then Brooke Thigpen took a cross from Torosian and hit a hard shot that EKU goalkeeper Stephanie Lynch got her hands on, but the ball came out after she was bumped and it scored at 66:33.

“The ball was in the upper right side of the box. Natalia had it and she sent a great cross to the back side where I was located. I took a controlling touch and shot it,” Thigpen said. “The keeper was there and she actually got her hands on it but she ran into her own defender and it bounced off them into the goal.”

Torosian said her intention when she entered the match in the 27th minute was to help lift the level of play. That mission was accomplished as she played a part in each of Florida’s first three goals Sunday.

“I just wanted to show the team how much I care about them and prove myself,” Torosian said. “I knew that we were off to a slow start so my intentions going into the game were to lift everyone, set the tone and hopefully bring up the attitude and encourage others.”

Florida pushed the lead to 4-1 in the 68^th minute when Annick McBryar found Kit on the outside. Kit crossed a high ball into the box that Lindsay Thompson headed in from eight yards for her fourth goal of 2009.

“We had some good one-touch passes in the middle. The ball got out to Nicky Kit on the outside,” Thompson said. “She sent a beautiful left-footed cross and I just headed it in.”

Thigpen added her second goal of the day in the 87^th minute after she eluded two EKU defenders to hit a left-footed 15-yard shot that scored at the near post. The goal ties Thigpen with Thompson for the UF season goals lead at four each.

“I was on the left side of the field and Natalie Juncos passed me the ball. There were two defenders and with the pass she gave me I got past the first one,” Thigpen said. “There was one more defender so I made a quick little move and then shot it into the right side of the net.”

Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh thought the Gators started today’s match slow. A shutout could have been possible with more focus, she said, but Burleigh liked how the team responded in the second half.

“It was not being attentive enough to detail on our part, for them to score that goal, which is a little disappointing,” Burleigh said. “There was good news and bad news from the game. Obviously the bad news was the slow start and giving up the goal, but the good news was a much better second half and good use of the width. We had a lot of good serves in the box, and that's where we generated goals. The fourth goal came off I believe five one-touch passes in a row, and when we play like that it’s very difficult to defend.”

The Gators open Southeastern Conference play next Friday when Kentucky (2-2-3, 0-0 SEC) comes to Pressly Stadium. Match time is set for 7 p.m. The first 500 fans at Friday’s match receive reusable grocery bags. Check out the Gator Outlook for a list of all promotions for Friday’s match.

Streaming audio and video of Friday’s match is available at www.GatorZone.com – the official website of the Florida Gators. Click on the GatorVision link to get complete information about streaming video for Friday’s match. The match can also be heard on WRUF AM 850 or by simulcast on Cox Channel 946 (Gainesville/Ocala) with Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington covering the action.