The University of Mississippi Athletics
SEC Tournament Championship Match Postgame Quotes
11/11/2002 | Soccer
Nov. 11, 2002
FLORIDA HEAD COACH BECKY BURLEIGH
"We played hard for the whole game. (Florida goalkeeper) Jordan (Kellgren) played a heck of a game, and really kept us in it. We knew Tennessee was good on set plays and that (Keeley) Dowling was their target. For the most part we did a good job of containing her until the last play (when she scored the game winner). Give credit to Tennessee for their effort. They had a lot of opportunities, but Jordan kept us in the game. We were disappointed with the outcome, but I was pleased with how hard we played."
(On Kellgren winning tournament MVP honors)
"No one deserved the MVP award more than Jordan. She played out of her mind today. She came up with some huge saves. Her confidence spread to our team. Her leadership emotionally was a big boost to our team."
(On an NCAA Tournament bid)
"It's hard to say what will happen. We feel we have enough quality wins to get in. Our strength of schedule is not an issue. It will be a matter of what happens in other conference finals around the country. We deserve to be in, and we're a team that nobody will want to play."
TENNESSEE HEAD COACH ANGELA KELLY
"I am extremely proud of my team. They always give 100 percent effort. I want to give a lot of credit to Florida. They won the SEC Tournament six years in a row, and are a dominant force. We obviously squeaked this one out. It was a great battle and entertaining to watch."
(On ending Florida's reign as tournament champion in double overtime)
"That's the sign of a great champion when you have a "never-say-die" attitude. It's a credit to Florida on what they have done. I just please that this time we came out on the winning end."
(On scoring the first goal on their 17th shot of the match)
"That's the beauty of athletics. You just have to keep putting the pressure on. Sometimes the easy chances don't go in, and our goal against Georgia (in the first round) was proof of that. You have to continue to stay positive and never get down."
(On the great defensive performance by Tennessee)
"Defense is a mentality. We put Jen (Laughridge) in the backfield for this tournament and she shuts down some of the dynamic players in the league. That's a credit to her. She just wanted to win the battle, and that's what I try to cultivate in our players. I try to cultivate that winning mentality. I also want to give credit to our forwards and midfielders (for helping our defense). Their play took pressure off our backfield, and did not allow many balls to go into our defensive third of the field."
