A goal in each half gave the No. 14 Florida soccer team (3-1, 0-0 SEC) a 2-1 win over No. 9 FSU (2-2, 0-0 ACC) Sunday afternoon in front of a James G. Pressly Crowd of 2,412. The win was the first in front of the Gator home crowd since Sept. 5, 2003 (UF 2, FSU 0).

Florida scored first Sunday. Senior Shana Hudson brought the ball down the right side and played the ball for Ashlee Elliott to run on. Elliott, deep in FSU territory, crossed the ball into the box where Ashley Harris used every inch of her 5-2 frame to head it into the far corner for her third goal of the weekend.

“The ball came into the corner and Ashlee served up the perfect cross,” Harris said. “Honestly, I didn’t feel like I did that much.”

A 20-yard free kick by FSU junior Mami Yamaguchi tied the match at 61:19. The free kick was awarded when Amanda DaCosta was fouled just steps above the UF box.

The lead was retaken by the Gators late in regulation. From near the middle of the field, Shelley Lyle looked up and saw space. She played the ball to the feet of freshman Karly Findorff who played the ball perfectly to KeLeigh Hudson. The eight-yard finish to the far post was the second game-winning goal of the season for KeLeigh Hudson.

“I was making a run and saw open space. I was able to put that through ball from Karly to the far post,” Hudson said. “I was excited to put it in, but I knew there was still plenty of time left. It really didn’t sink in that it was the game-winner until there was about 10 second left.”

Florida’s scoring Sunday drew praise from UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh.

“I thought the header from Ashlee to Ashley was outstanding.  Then the goal, I think Karly slotted the ball to KeLeigh and then KeLeigh had a text-book finish.  I thought it was terrific. KeLeigh finished that with such composure. That is not an easy thing to do.  She made that look very easy, but that is not an easy thing to do.  That takes a lot of skill and she did it really well,” Burleigh said. “To win this game without Ameera being able to play, without Mel Booth being here (at the FIFA World Cup with Canada), it’s a big deal for us. I feel like we’re just going to get better.”

Florida was without junior All-American Ameera Abdullah on Sunday, as she suffered a left peroneal tendon strain in a collision Friday with the USF goalkeeper. She will be evaluated by team doctors again this week.

The Seminoles did have a few excellent opportunities to score in the match. Perhaps the most dangerous came early in the second half. FSU’s Sarah Wagenfuhr’s shot looked like it was going to score at the near post, but sophomore Lauren Hyde cleared the ball off the line.

Next up, the Gators head to the Midwest for their first road trip of the season. Action opens at Illinois on Friday, Sept. 14 at 8:30 p.m (ET). The action for that match can be heard live on WRUF-AM 850. Then Florida heads to Des Moines, Iowa, to face Drake on Sunday, Sept. 16. GatorVision subscribers can see the UF-Drake match when play begins at 2 p.m.