In 2011, Florida played South Carolina with a share of the SEC title on the line, and fell 2-1 at home to cede the title to the Gamecocks. Thursday night, the Gators got their revenge: With a 3-0 win in Columbia, Florida banished that particular demon and earned the SEC's regular season title outright.
The Gators didn't get in gear until the second half, but a goal by Adriana Leon with 25 minutes to play put Florida up, and Annie Speese added two more in the last 16 minutes of play to seal the win.
Florida's soccer team has taken some of its football brothers' mentality when it comes to play in the second half: With all three of their goals coming in the second half tonight, the Gators have outscored opponents by a staggering 29-7 margin in the second half in 2012.
The victory gives Florida its 12th regular season SEC title since 1995, when the Gators began SEC play. Florida has won six of the last seven SEC regular season titles, winning every year from 2006 to 2010 before failing to do so in 2011.
Florida also earns the No. 1 seed for the SEC Tournament, which takes place from October 31 to November 4 in Orange Beach, Alabama. Florida reached the final of the 2011 SEC Tournament, but fell 3-2 to Auburn.