No. 16 Florida Soccer Team Meets Tennessee
Saturday, September 27, 2008 | Soccer
The top two soccer teams in the 2008 Southeastern Conference preseason coaches poll meet Sunday, when No. 16 Florida (6-2-1, 1-0 SEC) plays host to Tennessee (3-6, 0-1 SEC). Match time is set for 1 p.m. at the James G. Pressly Stadium. The first 1,000 fans at Sunday's match receive a backpack, compliments of Gatorade. Admission is free for all 2008 Gator soccer regular-season matches.
Florida was the 2008 preseason pick by the league coaches to win the SEC title (seven votes), while Tennessee was second (three votes). Florida won its second consecutive SEC title with a 2007 record of 9-2 and Tennessee was third at 8-2-1. Last season, Tennessee won its third consecutive match versus Florida, posting a 2-0 win in regular-season action held in Knoxville.
Florida opened its 2008 SEC schedule Friday with a 2-1 OT win versus Georgia. Senior Megan Kerns scored both of the goals Friday, upping her season total to a team-high five goals. That total also is a season collegiate-high for Kerns (previous high of four goals in 2005 and 2006).
Tennessee lost 2-1 at South Carolina Friday. South Carolina provided all the scoring, as UT's goal Friday was credited as an USC own goal. Four of UT's six losses have come versus ranked teams (rankings at time of match) - Indiana (2-0), No. 2 North Carolina (1-0), No. 13 West Virginia (1-0), at Pepperdine (2-0), at No. 21 UC Santa Barbara (2-1/ranked by SoccerBuzz.com) and at No. 29 South Carolina (2-1/ranked by SoccerBuzz.com). Senior Kylee Rossi leads UT this season with four goals.
| Florida vs Tennessee Match Promotions |
| Gatorade Backpack Giveaway – The first 1,000 fans receive Gator Soccer backpacks courtesy of Gatorade. Let's Pack Pressly – Bring your football ticket stub from the Ole Miss game and you will be registered for a raffle with the grand prize being a TV! |
Five selections for the preseason All-SEC team will be in action Sunday. Three Gators - senior Ameera Abdullah plus juniors Ashlee Elliott and Lauren Hyde were named to the team in August. Two UT seniors - Rossi (forward) and Jaimel Johnson (goalkeeper) - also appear on the preseason team. All five earned All-SEC honors in 2007.
Live, streaming video of the UF-UT match can also be seen at www.GatorZone.com - just click on the GatorVision icon for more information. Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington will cover the action Sunday.
