Night Of Firsts Lead To Gator Soccer Win Against Towson

Gator soccer secures their first win of the season in the home-opener as they fend off the Towson Tigers in a 4-2 thriller.

Tied at 0, the Gators would have to deal with another weather delay due to lightning in the area, just eleven minutes into the first half.

Talking to sophomore defender Skye Barnes about how the team kept up the energy during the weather delay,

she said, “I feel like FSU was a good practice for us because we had multiple rain delays throughout that game and just keeping the momentum.”

Barnes scored her first collegiate goal from a corner kick to give the Gators a 4-2 lead.

“Being with each other helped a lot” Barnes added.

The game resumed over 2 hours after the initial stoppage. Similar to the Florida State game, the opponents would strike first.

Just 8 minutes back into the start of action, Towson junior Sydney Feiler found the back of the net.

Scoring her first two goals of her collegiate career and dishing out two assists, freshmen forward Katie Johnston could not stop getting involved in the attacking third of the field.

“Coming into this game I knew I had to make a difference,” Johnston said. “There was no choice because we had to win this game.”

“We have really good momentum after that and i’m excited to see what we do Sunday” Johnston added.

When asked about Johnston’s performance, Bohon explained “We’ve seen it so that didn’t surprise anybody on the Gator sideline.”

Bohon continued, “From a recruiting standpoint, we had so many people come up to us and ask where we found her.”

After spending the first three seasons as a defender, senior forward Njeri Butts scored her first career goal, giving the Gators a 2-1 lead.

Talking with coach Bohon after the game about Butts’ performance, Bohon said “honestly were not surprised. She can be one of the best forwards and personalities in the SEC.”

“You’ve seen her start this senior season with a real energy and emotion” Bohon stated.

The Gators look to take this positive momentum into their Sunday matchup. They close out the week facing in-state rival North Florida.

All home games at Donald R. Dizney Stadium are free to attend. The game will also be streamed on SEC Network +. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Soccer, NCAA, Soccer