Gators Soccer Holds No. 15 South Carolina to Draw at Home

Florida Gators soccer (4-5-1, 0-2-1 SEC) held the No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks (8-1-2, 2-0-1 SEC) to a scoreless draw. 

Entering the game against Florida, the Gamecocks held an 8-0 record when scoring first. Therefore, Florida knew the recipe to success was to not let South Carolina score at all. 

Gators goalie Paloma Peña was called into action on six occasions, stopping all six shots that were put on net. This was Peña’s first career individual shutout. 

“I was really proud of my backline and it honestly made my job way easier,” Peña said. “All I had to do was make the save, which is what I’m here to do. It was really them that gave me that confidence, they did their job so I could do mine. “Throughout the season, Florida tends to switch its goalies at the break. Speaking after the game on the decision to keep Peña in for the second-half Gators coach Samantha Bohon factored momentum in the momentum of the game.

“We had a conversation at half-time, and we just felt like we had to go with the hot hand,” Bohon said. “You could see that athletic shot stopping ability that she showed today.“

Five of six shots on goal for the Gamecocks were courtesy of Katie Shea Collins. Entering the game against the Gators, Collins led the team with seven goals and 15 points on the season. In her last game against Ole Miss, she scored a first-half hat trick, marking the third of her career. 

To counter South Carolina’s two attacking midfielders, Florida opted to play a back five — a system that the coaches introduced Saturday, just one day before the big game. 

“The thing I was most proud of is the execution,” Bohon said. “We put a game plan together … and the student, the IQ piece came into play.” 

Asked if the team could use the formation later down the line during SEC play, Bohon didn’t reveal her hand

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she joked.

For one Gator, Sunday’s game meant a little more. Brinley Murphy played at South Carolina for two seasons, appearing in 19 matches during her sophomore year before enrolling at Florida in January. 

“This is an emotional game for Brinley, I think the game called for her as a nine,” Bohon said, referring to Brinley’s position as the team’s central attacker. “We hadn’t played her all season up there, but she’s a big time ball winner for us.”

Next up, Florida travels to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. Florida is (30-5-5) all time against the Bulldogs, but have not won since their 1-0 home victory in 2018. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and will stream on SEC Network +. 

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Soccer, NCAA, SEC, Soccer