No. 16 Florida Soccer Team Opens SEC Play with Georgia
Thursday, September 25, 2008 | Soccer
The top two teams in the final 2007 Southeastern Conference standings meet in the opening night of league action as No. 16 Florida (5-2-1, 0-0 SEC) plays host to Georgia (2-6, 0-0 SEC) on Friday. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the James G. Pressly Stadium and the match will be televised live on SUN Sports. The first 1,000 fans at Friday's match receive a t-shirt, compliments of SUN Sports. Admission is free for all 2008 Gator soccer regular-season matches.
Florida won its second consecutive SEC title in 2007 with a league record of 9-2 and Georgia was second at 8-1-2. Last season, Florida and Georgia split in their two meetings. UGA posted its first win in the all-time series (2-1 at UGA) in the 2007 SEC opener and Florida took a 4-1 win in the SEC Tournament final.
Florida split in its last weekend of non-conference competition, with both matches versus National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) top-25 teams. It was an unusual away-home weekend as Florida lost 2-0 loss at then No. 5 Portland on Sept. 19. The Gators logged 5,950 miles round-trip for the match, returning to Gainesville early Saturday afternoon. Florida used a pair of goals from junior Ashlee Elliott to post a 2-1 home win versus then No. 25 Kansas Sept. 21. The KU match ended a stretch of four consecutive NSCAA top-25 opponents for Florida. The stretch started with a 1-0 win at then No. 4 Florida State on Sept. 7 and a 2-0 win versus then No. 18 Illinois on Sept. 12.
| Florida vs Georgia Match Promotions |
| SUN Sports Giveaway – The first 1,000 fans receive Gator Soccer t-shirts courtesy of SUN Sports. Gator Booster Night – Gator Boosters who bring their valid ID will receive free food from the concessions stand. UF Student Night – The first 250 UF students will receive coupons for free pizza. There will be random drawings throughout the match for prizes including Gator gear, TV, etc. One student will be selected for chance to win $250 cash. Gator SportShop Three-Legged Race – Three (3) teams of two participants will compete in a three-legged race dribbling the ball down the field. The first team to score wins. Dodge Shoot Out – One contestant will be selected to kick 3 out of 5 balls into the net from mid-field. If successful, he/she wins $250 in cash. |
Georgia's record of 2-6 is deceptive, as all six of its losses have all come versus ranked teams (rankings at time of match) – at No. 18 BYU (4-1), No. 7 Virginia (1-0), No. 10 Stanford (2-0), defending NCAA champion and then No. 3 Southern California (3-2 OT), No. 3 North Carolina (4-0) and No. 11 Duke (3-0). Georgia held the No. 19 spot in the NSCAA preseason ranking.
Seven Gators have turned in goals this season and UF is led by freshman Tahnai Annis' four goals. Junior Carrie Patterson leads UGA with seven points off of two goals and three assists.
Friday's match can be heard live on WRUF AM 850 and simulcast on Gator Radio-COX channel 96/946 in Gainesville. Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington will cover the action Friday.
