Florida has always been the measuring stick for the LSU soccer team, and the Gators proved to be too much once again on Thursday night.Florida (12-4-2, 6-1-2) raced to two first-half goals and never looked back in a 4-0 win against LSU.”Florida showed great effort tonight,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “For whatever reason we came out pretty flat tonight … I couldn’t imagine us playing this poorly wherever the game was played.”The Tigers (10-4-3, 6-2-1) had a chance to take the top spot in the Southeastern Conference heading into the night. Instead LSU’s record against Florida falls to 0-10-2 all-time.The Gators’ defense suffocated LSU from the very get-go. The Tigers managed just six shots all night long, with four of those being on target.    Florida freshman midfielder Barney McKenzie started the rout in a timely manner, as she headed in her fourth goal of the year from close range after a missed clearance by LSU just four minutes into the game.”They scored on a corner, and we had a chance to clear it but just shanked it toward our own goal,” Lee said. “Florida just won corners and headers all night. It was a great performance for them.”Sophomore midfielder Sarah Chapman doubled the Gators’ lead 15 minutes before halftime when she headed in a free kick from senior defender Lauren Hyde.LSU sophomore midfielder Taryne Boudreau and senior midfielder Melissa Clarke found shots on goal in between scores but could not spark one of the comebacks the Tigers have grown accustomed to this season.”Across the board it was just a poor performance — the defense and the offense,” Lee said. “We just have to flush it and try again on Sunday.”The Gators put the score out of reach early in the second half when Florida freshman forward Brooke Thigpen took a pass just inside the LSU penalty box, pivoted and converted a 12-yard shot into a three-goal lead.McKenzie put a cap on a great night for the Gators when she added her second of the night — and fifth of the season — for a 4-0 final margin.The Tigers don’t have long to lick their wounds upon returning to Baton Rouge. The next opponent on the slate is No. 9 South Carolina, which began the night tied with LSU for first in the SEC.The Gamecocks defeated Arkansas, 2-0, on Thursday, and could take a decisive lead in the conference title race with a win Sunday.Ole Miss also won Thursday night, cutting LSU’s lead in the SEC West to two points with just two games to play.”We’re going to find out a lot about ourselves,” Lee said. “It’s going to be a fight to keep ourselves alive for the SEC and the SEC West.”The game is scheduled for Sunday, giving LSU a day longer than usual to recooperate for the Gamecocks.”It’s definitely going to take the fatigue out of it,” Lee said. “The extra day will probably make the quality of matches better across the SEC, because fatigue plays such a big factor in conference play.”- – – -Contact David Helman at [email protected]