Late Goal Lifts No. 20 Florida Past MSU

Sunday, October 23

Gainesville, Fla.

12:00 PM

Mississippi State

6-11, 1-9SEC

#20 Florida

12-4, 7-3SEC

Mississippi State

Florida

Junior Tanya de Souza turned in a sensational performance in defeat.

Late Goal Lifts No. 20 Florida Past MSU

October 23, 2016 | Soccer

Box Score Box Score Box Score (PDF)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – An impressive performance from the Mississippi State soccer team (6-11-0, 1-9-0 SEC) fell short on Sunday afternoon as the 20th-ranked Florida Gators (12-4-0, 7-3-0 SEC) scored in the 80th minute to turn away an upset bid by the Bulldogs, winning 1-0.

The Gators held the early advantage in shots (11-3), shots on goal (5-2) and corners (6-1) but couldn't break through a stout defensive effort from the Bulldogs in the first half. MSU used 18 players alone during the first 45 minutes to combine for the shutout in the first frame.

In the second half the Bulldogs would again provide a stout defensive performance, while the offense earned multiple chances as MSU was just inches away on a few occasions from scoring. The most notable chance came in the 66th minute after the Gator goalkeeper lost her footing on an Ari Holmes throw in, but a foul halted the Bulldog attack as Carly Mauldin was poised to score.

In the 80th minute the Gators would finally breakthrough the Bulldog defense, scoring from about six yards out. UF's Mayra Pelayo earned the goal on a laser shot that was set up by a corner kick attempt from the Gators. With the lead in hand, the Bulldogs would not give up however as MSU used a flurry of attacks to keep the Gators on their heels until the final whistle.

"We had an outstanding performance today and I'm proud of our team," head coach Aaron Gordon said. "We went toe-to-toe with Florida, who is one of the best teams in our conference, but they had luck go their way late."

The Gators finished the game with a lead in shots (22-10), shots on goal (11-4) and corners (9-1) while earning the one-goal win. The Bulldogs became only the fifth team to hold the Gators to at least one goal. UF earned six goals in its Friday night defeat of Alabama.

One Goal Losses
This season the Bulldogs have lost seven contests by only one deciding goal. No. 25 Virginia Tech (1-2), Lipscomb (0-1), Vanderbilt (1-2), Missouri (1-2), No. 2 South Carolina (0-1), LSU (0-1) and No. 20 Florida (0-1) make up the one-goal defeats.

De Souza Impressive In Defeat
Junior Tanya de Souza earned nine saves on Sunday. The nine-save performance is de Souza's second highest of this season, with her last nine-save game coming on Sept. 2 in the 2-1 win against South Alabama.

Goal Scoring Rundown
UF– (80:50) Mayra Pelayo broke the scoreless game after firing a laser from six yards out after the ball was kicked back to her on the corner kick.

Up Next
The Maroon and White will return home Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. CT as the Bulldogs face Texas A&M in the season finale from the MSU Soccer Field.

Additional Notes

Eight Bulldogs went the full distance as Tanya de Souza, Mallory Eubanks, Johanna Hamblett, Ari Holmes, Emily Malone, Carly Mauldin, Courtney Robicheaux and MaKayla Waldner earned 90 minutes
18 Bulldogs earned minutes for the Bulldogs against Florida
Johanna Hamblett earned her 17th start of the season, as she remains the only freshman to start every game for the Bulldogs this season
Florida is now 10-0-0 all-time against MSU in Gainesville
Attendance for Sunday's game was 976