Two first-half goals gave the No. 17 University of Florida soccer team (7-3-1, 2-1-1 SEC) a 2-0 victory over Georgia (8-3-1, 2-2 SEC) Sunday afternoon in front of a season-high Georgia Soccer Complex crowd of 2,208. Sunday’s shutout was the fifth of the season for the Gators.

Florida scored its first goal at 20:43 when KeLeigh Hudson successfully converted her third penalty kick of the season. The penalty kick was awarded after the Bulldogs were called for a handball in the box. She now leads UF with four goals this season.

The Gators took a 2-0 lead into halftime after a goal by junior Melanie Booth at 30:17. The Bulldogs tried to clear the ball just outside their box, but Booth won the ball back, dribbled deeper into the box and took a 12-yard shot that curled into the far right corner of the goal. The goal was the third for Booth this season.

“I went on the challenge and I thought she was going to clear it (the ball), but she mis-hit it. I picked it up, looked up and took the shot,” Booth said.

The pace of play was fast and choppy, with plenty of free kicks as the two teams combined for 33 fouls.

“We wanted to start off aggressively, so it was great to go up two goals in the first half. It wasn’t a pretty game but it definitely was a good win for us that we needed after Friday night. (UF lost 2-1 at No. 20 Tennessee),” UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh said. “It was very frenzied game and the pace was fast. I felt like we had to put pressure on them and that’s what we did because we wanted to play in their half.”

Booth was also positive after the Gators’ win.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game we’ve played but we got two goals and got the shut-out, which is important for us. We got a lot of play off the bench - everyone came in and did their jobs,” she continued.

Next up, the Gators play host to their third consecutive SEC Eastern Division opponent when they meet Kentucky on Friday, Oct. 7. Match time is set for 2 p.m. at the James G. Pressly Stadium and admission is free. The match can be heard live on www.GatorZone.com.