Florida Gators Soccer Falls Short in Final Minutes Against UCF
The Florida Gators battled for 87 straight minutes against undefeated Central Florida, dominating possession and chances created all throughout the game.
However, an even soccer match proved that it can sometimes be a game of tough breaks.
With four minutes remaining in the game, the Gators attempted to clear the ball during a Central Florida attack. The ball then deflected off UCF’s senior forward Liz Worden and landed at the feet of senior forward Rajanah Reed, who made no mistake with her powerful strike from the right side of the box.
The shot beat Gators goalie Jayden Emmanuel on her nearpost and gave the Knights the game’s sole goal to leave Gainesville with a 1-0 win.
Consequently, in a matchup filled with controversial calls but plenty of effort from the home team, Gators coach Samantha Bohon backed her team’s effort after a three-game homestand.
“Our team didn’t deserve that result,” Bohon said. “We were the better team for a large part of that game.
“You just have to win your moments. Both teams are going to have moments and we have to make sure we win our moments. Unfortunately, that one moment cost us.” Bohon stated.
The Gators tried to answer with a goal of their own. With eight minutes remaining, redshirt sophomore Megan Hinnenkamp made a run through the defensive lines but was called offsides – denying her a breakaway opportunity.
The Gators now drop to 2-0-2 on the season. Both losses came against in-state rivals after a 5-0 season-opening loss to Florida State.
“This was an SEC-like game,” Bohon said, referring to the battles that took place all throughout the night.
The scoreline ended in favor of the visiting team, who were able to do their part to get the win, despite being out-played.
The game finished even on shot attempts (11) but favored the Gators with shots on goal (6) to UCF’s (5). Ultimately, Florida doubled the amount of fouls committed (14) to UCF’s (7), but no cards were shown to either team.
“You can’t blame the heart and execution of our team,” Bohon said. “It just didn’t bounce our way tonight and that’s really unfortunate.”
Full postgame interview with Gators Soccer Head Coach Samantha Bohon after Florida’s 1-0 loss against UCF: pic.twitter.com/Gep5EZJoCB
— David (@davidaalopezz) August 29, 2025
Additionally, with SEC play starting in just two weeks, the Gators will need to focus on the road ahead. Next up, the Gators travel to Ludwig Field to take on the Maryland Terrapins on Sunday.
The Terps enter Sunday’s matchup 4-1 on the season after beating Navy 2-1 Thursday evening. All four of the Terps wins have come at home.
The Gators will want to get off to a strong start on Sunday against a Terps team that has scored eight of their eleven goals in the first half.
“We have to build on this, we’ll watch film in the morning and prepare for Maryland,” Bohon said.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Soccer, SEC, Soccer, Uncategorized
