It was a Sunday showdown between Florida and Ole Miss filled with rain and controversial calls at Dizney Stadium A win would have clinched Florida’s spot in the Southeastern Conference tournament for the first time in four seasons under coach Samantha Bohon.
The first half of the 0-0 tie saw Florida controlling most of the possessions, but having little to show for it. The Gators’ best chance came 26 minutes into the game, when freshman Kai Tsakiris played through on goal but had her shot to the bottom left corner saved by Ole Miss goalie Taylor Prigge.
With 30 seconds left in the first half, sophomore Brinley Murphy found herself all alone in front but fired her header over the bar.
The rain kept coming down in the second 45 minutes. Florida (6-5-5, 2-2-5 SEC) tried a new formation after the break, feeling the pressure of being a win away from the postseason.
“I don’t think we were great in that system, we need to be able to make changes mid game and execute a bit better,” Bohon said. “I thought we got stagnant, we weren’t moving as much.”
The Gators thought they scored the breakthrough goal when freshman Addy Hess flicked the ball behind the Ole Miss (4-7-3, 0-6-3) backline to senior Njeri Butts. The play was reviewed, and referee Marie Durr overturned her original call, keeping donuts on the scoreboard.
One of the best chances for the Gators came with 19 seconds left. Sophomore defender Skye Barnes saw the ball fly off her head toward goal, but Prigge matched the effort with a diving save by pushing the ball out for another corner kick.
The clock was still ticking. With 15 seconds left, Florida hustled to take the ensuing corner kick. With the ball played nine yards from the goal, Barnes fell to the ground after an Ole Miss defender seemingly dragged Barnes down by her jersey.
The clock ran out with the score level — and plenty of questions left to be asked
“We’re really disappointed in this. We created enough chances despite all the factors with the weather,” Bohon said. “We needed a result here beyond a tie.”
When discussing the questionable calls/no calls Bohon referenced a saying she said her mom always told her.
“If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all,” Bohon said.
Florida’s fate was in its hands against Ole Miss, and it fell just short. However, a Texas A&M loss would have also mathematically qualified the Gators for the postseason.
The Aggies also clawed out a scoreless draw against No. 8 South Carolina to keep their hopes alive just three points behind Florida in the SEC standings. With one match remaining in the league’s regular-season schedule, Florida is 11th in the standings with 11 points. The top 12 teams advance to the SEC Tournament.
It will all come down to this Sunday. Florida will travel to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers (9-5-3, 4-2-3). All Florida would need is a draw to claim a spot in Pensacola on Nov. 2-9 at Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex.
