Peña’s Heroics Help Gators Weather Storm in Draw vs. Tennessee
In the team’s toughest test of conference play, Florida Gators soccer once again performed under pressure.
In the Gators’ sixth consecutive match unbeaten, Florida took No. 4 Tennessee to the wire in a 0-0 draw Thursday night.
Now with 10 points in SEC play and firmly in 10th place out of 12 that qualify, coach Samantha Bohon’s Gators can clinch a spot in the SEC Tournament with a win in either of their final two matches.
Getting a result in Knoxville, Tennessee, was far from a guarantee for Florida. The Volunteers had won five consecutive SEC matches prior to Thursday and looked dominant in front of their home crowd.
Tennessee had several close calls in the first half, winning the shots battle 12-5 in that period, with five of their shots on target.
However, the star of the match between both teams was between the sticks for Florida.
Goalkeeper Paloma Peña kept the Volunteers away from opening the scoring with multiple diving saves to close out the half.
With one of Florida’s starting midfielders, Charlotte McClure, suspended for the match due to her red card in Florida’s win over Mississippi State, the Gators were forced to play safe and more defensively.
The second half was another onslaught from the Volunteers, who launched another 12 shots in the period.
Peña’s efforts were more than enough, however, as her career-high 11 saves meant Florida left Knoxville without conceding a goal. Her tally was the third-most saves by a goalkeeper in one match in program history.
“Paloma had a special performance and the players in front of her did a great job of clearing out dangerous opportunities on their end,” Bohon said.
The Gators were able to claim a draw and a point against their final ranked opponent of the regular season.
Now Florida (6-5-4, 2-2-4 SEC) heads back to Gainesville for a Sunday afternoon showdown with Ole Miss (4-7-2, 0-6-2 SEC).
Sunday will be Florida’s final home match of the season and could be the match where Florida clinches its first postseason berth under Bohon. The match will broadcast live at 4 p.m. on SEC Network +.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Soccer, SEC, Soccer
