Gators defense stifles Georgia's attacks in draw
ATHENS, Ga. - After a scoreless 90 minutes, the University of Georgia soccer team tied Florida, 0-0, before 2,111 spectators Sunday afternoon at the Turner Soccer Complex.
"We weren't quite as aggressive [in the second half]," Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine said. "I think we did a good job of building into areas. They clearly changed tactics based on whether or not they felt like they could get out and win the game. They wanted to make sure they didn't lose the game, so they had a lot of numbers back there. We just didn't do a good job of taking some half chances, taking some risks, and making better passes on the final product to put it away. Very reminiscent of some early games in the year - the Minnesota game comes to mind. We just didn't deal with it well."
The Georgia (6-3-4, 2-2-2 SEC) defense kept Florida (5-5-4, 1-4-2 SEC) from finishing any chances, limiting the Gators' shots on goal to two as sophomore keeper Jordan Brown registered a pair of saves. Redshirt senior Nicole Vernis and redshirt freshman Summer Denigan led the Bulldogs in shots with four each. Ellie Gilbert, Madison Haugen and Mallie McKenzie had one shot apiece to contribute to Georgia's 11 shots for the afternoon.
The first half remained scoreless as Brown tallied both of her saves within the first 11 minutes of play. The Bulldogs made eight attempts in the period but were unable to score. Denigan led Georgia with three shots as Vernis followed with a pair of her own, including one that clipped the cross bar. Three other Bulldogs posted shots in the opening period, most notably a header from Gilbert that was saved by Gator keeper Alexa Goldberg.
The Georgia defense shined in the second half as the Bulldogs did not allow a Gator shot. Vernis put up two shots in the half, one to the bottom left of the net that was saved by Goldberg. The Gators' defense stifled the Bulldogs' attack throughout the match, with Georgia being called for offsides nine times.
Georgia will hit the road to travel to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers on Friday, October 13 at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on SEC Network+.