Behind the Numbers: Florida Soccer Struggles in SEC Play

Florida Gators soccer is struggling as they enter the latter half of conference play. After a 2-1 home loss to LSU, Florida fell to 5-4-3 on the season and 1-2-2 in SEC play.

“The SEC is a gauntlet,” Nick Zimmerman said. “Every game matters and every game presents different challenges.”

The Gators sit at 12th in the SEC standings with five points, one spot above the cutoff line for the SEC tournament. 

Comparing this stretch to last year’s midpoint stretch, the records look nearly identical, but a deeper look into the numbers reveals the opposite.

First-year coach Zimmerman brought a high-risk, high-reward offensive press. Through five games of conference play, Florida has generated 81 shots, nearly matching the 88 shots it took across 10 conference games last year. The Gators are also averaging 16.2 shots per game compared to last season’s 8.8. 

The primary issue is efficiency. Florida has outshot opponents in all five conference matches with an 81-44 shot advantage. Of those 81 shots, 31 have been on target and nine found the back of the net, five of which came in their 5-2 blowout at Texas A&M. 

The Gators are posting a lower shots-on-goal percentage of 0.395 than last season’s 0.420. Excluding the Gators’ five-goal explosion against the Aggies, Zimmerman’s squad is averaging just one goal per game in conference play, a drop from the Gators 2.33 season average.

“This team, everyone wants to score,” Zoe Main said. “It’s just a matter of being in the right place, and we’re getting so close.”

While the goals have been tough to finish, the constant pressure has yielded Florida more set pieces. The Gators have surpassed last season’s 39 corners in conference play, tallying 40 through five games.

“We’ve got some attacking players in the way we want to play. We get the ball wide and let them go and express themselves,” Zimmerman said. “I think we’re second or third in the SEC right now on corners, and it’s been a focus for us how we can be more efficient with them as we continue to move forward.”

However, the aggressive approach has created defensive vulnerabilities. While Florida is limiting opponents to 8.8 shots per game, nearly 46 percent of those attempts have been on target and 18 percent have resulted in goals.

The Gators are also saving only 60% of shots, whereas opposing teams are saving over 70% of Florida’s shots. Last season, the Gators saved nearly 80% of opponents’ shots while still having 70% of their shots saved by opponents

Florida looks to bounce back Thursday at home against Alabama at 7 p.m.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Soccer