Gators fire soccer coach Samantha Bohon

Once a dominant program in women’s soccer, the Florida Gators have fallen on hard times in recent years. And now, UF is again looking for a new coach. The school announced Wednesday that Samantha Bohon has been fired after four seasons.

Bohon went 18-34-18 overall, and just 5-23-12 in SEC play. According to a UF press release, “A national search for the next head coach will begin immediately.”

“After reviewing the direction of our soccer program, we determined that a change in leadership is necessary,” said Athletics Director Scott Stricklin said in the release. “We appreciate Sam’s commitment and wish her and her family well. Our priority now is identifying the right person to guide Gator soccer back to championship form.”

Bohon came to Florida after a 15-year run at Embry-Riddle. There, she led the Eagles to multiple conference titles. Additionally, Bohon was an assistant at Tennessee (2001-05) when the Lady Vols won two SEC regular-season and tournament (2002, 2003) title teams.

In Gainesville, Bohon inherited a program already in decline. As the Gainesville Sun noted, “At Florida, she took over a program left in ruins by Tony Amato. Amato replaced the legendary Becky Burleigh and went 4-12-3 in 2021. He was fired in April 2022 after WUFT released a story detailing players’ complaints of Amato and how he handled their fitness, eating, weight and body image.”

Burleigh led UF to the program’s first and only national title in 1998. And she coached several notable players, including Abby Wambach. Burleigh went 431-154-23 with the Gators from 1994-2021, but she had losing years in two of her last three seasons at UF.