Gators Soccer Faces Towson to in Home Opener
Florida Gators women’s soccer faces off against Towson Thursday night to kick off their home opener and a three-game homestand.
Last Thursday, the Gators took on No. 3 Florida State and were shut out by the Seminoles 5-0 in their regular season opener that featured an extended weather delay. On Wednesday, Gators coach Samantha Bohon discussed her message to the team during the delay and how her team can find the win column against the Tigers.
“Our players were really anxious to get back out there,” Bohon said. “We’ve played almost the entire first-half and they were really exited and encouraged.
“Don’t let the last half overshadow the entire game. We went back and watched film, we saw the good things we did, we saw the areas to address and improve upon pretty quickly.”
The new-look Gators feature 10 new starters, who stood strong early on against the Seminoles last week. But Bohon knows the road ahead only gets tougher, and avoiding a losing skid that extends to last year is crucial to start the new season.
“We just don’t have the luxury of easing in, our conference is very unforgivable,” Bohon said. “We really need to test ourselves at a high level early to then know what we need to tweak. It gives a real good opportunity for all of our new players to see what the standard is.”
Towson makes its way from Baltimore to Gainesville after hosting the Gators last season. In that matchup, the Gators led by a goal until Towson scored an equalizer off of a free kick with 10 seconds remaining in a dramatic finish.
Set pieces were also an issue last week against Florida State, which scored three of five off set pieces.
“An elite team separated themselves from us through set pieces,” Bohon said. “That was important for us to address this week.”
After scoring only 13 goals in 18 matches in 2024 and starting 2025 with a scoreless loss, Florida enters Thursday’s game looking to score early and often.
“I think we have to be a little bit more aggressive. There has to be a higher sense of urgency” Bohon said. “We have to be clinical in the final third because they don’t make things easy, they’re a difficult team to beat.”
Towson opened the season Sunday with a 5-0 win against Mt. St. Mary’s. Towson junior Sophie Thibeault opened her account with a goal in Sunday’s game after leading the Tigers in scoring with seven goals and two assists last season.
Listen to the full interview from Florida Gators women’s soccer coach Samantha Bohon below:
Category: Gainesville, Gator Sports, Gators Soccer, NCAA, Soccer, University of Florida
