Lena Bailey Strikes Late as Florida Soccer Stuns No. 5 Alabama
With less than two minutes left in the game, it looked like Florida was about to survive No. 5 Alabama to log its fourth draw of the season. But senior forward Lena Bailey had other plans.
A long pass from freshman defender Lael Hill left the ball in Bailey’s path, and she delivered, sinking a right-footed shot into the back of the net in the 89th minute. Bailey fell to the ground as her teammates ran over to her, celebrating Florida’s successful 1-0 toppling of previously unbeaten Alabama in SEC play.
Bailey said the maneuver is something she practiced with Hill several times, so it was a long time coming. Alabama’s star goalkeeper MadiMunguia had allowed just one goal in conference play before Bailey struck.
“I feel like every single one of us was crying off the field [and] on the field,” Bailey said of the celebration. “It’s a team goal; it’s not just me.”
With the win, Florida (6-4-3, 2-2-2 SEC) became the only team to log two wins against top-five teams. Florida is no stranger to big wins, beating then-No. 3 Florida State 3-1 back in August. On a rainy Thursday night at Donald R. Dizney Stadium, the Gators handed the favored Alabama (12-2, 5-1 SEC) its first SEC loss.
From the start, Florida looked to be homing in defensively, playing an aggressive and fast game. For the balls that slipped through, redshirt senior goalkeeper Jayden Emmanuel was there to stop them, logging three saves in just the first half.
Senior forward Zoe Main and redshirt sophomore forward Addy Hess also emerged as standout performers for the Gators in the first half, running box-to-box creating chances. In the 26th minute, Main took on Munguia one-on-one, but wound up shooting the ball off target. Creating several chances was not enough and they struggled to get on the board, going into the half 0-0.
Florida outshot Alabama 8-5 in the first half, typical across Florida’s recent performances. An outlier was Florida’s lack of corners in the first 45 minutes, with the Gators only logging their first and only corner in the 40th minute.
In the second half, the Gators continued to look for a breakthrough, racking up eight more shots for 16 total. Sophomore midfielder Tatum Borman stepped up for Florida, not only setting up chances for teammates like Bailey, but also shooting three shots of her own.
With every close call, the Gators seemed to focus even more on gaining an edge. And thanks to Bailey’s late goal, they were able to pull away from the Tide, making a big statement in the SEC.
As Florida shifts its focus to its next game at No. 3 Vanderbilt, Florida coach Nick Zimmerman is focused on celebrating the wins and continuing to learn as the regular season nears the final stretch.
“We’ve been in this moment before,” Zimmerman said. “We said if we continue to keep doing the things that we’re doing, we’ll see where it stacks up at the end.”
Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Soccer
