No. 7 Florida Soccer Team Plays Host to No. 5 Florida State Friday
Thursday, September 17, 2009 | Soccer
The No. 7 University of Florida soccer team (5-2, 0-0 SEC) plays host to No. 5 Florida State (6-1, 0-0 ACC) on Friday, Sept. 18. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the James G. Pressly Stadium. The first 1,000 fans at Friday's match receive a "Beat FSU" t-shirt, compliments of Gatorade. Admission is free for all 2009 Gator soccer regular-season matches.
Fans are encouraged to bring canned goods to donate to the second annual Gators Canned Goods Challenge for Kids. UF Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) members will be present Friday to take the canned goods, which will be donated to the Bread of the Mighty Food Bank of Gainesville.
Friday's Match Info
Florida vs. Florida State
Friday, Sept. 18 @ 7 p.m. (ET)
Site: James G. Pressly Stadium (4,500)
Admission: free
Press Box Phone: (352) 375-4683 x4662
The Coaches: Becky Burleigh, 15th season @ UF (335-89-27/20 seasons overall - 253-66-21/UF), Mark Krikorian, fifth season at FSU (79-18-11) and 16th overall (247-67-17)
Television: none
Radio: WRUF 850 AM
Internet: live stats & streaming audio for UF-FSU match available on www.GatorZone.com
Streaming Video: live streaming video available – go to www.Gatorzone.com and click on GatorVision link for complete information
Match Promotions: Gatorade T-Shirt Giveaway – The first 1,000 receive a "Beat FSU" t-shirt courtesy of Gatorade; Gator Soccer Shoot Out – One contestant will be selected to try to kick 3 out of 5 balls into the net from mid-field, if they are successful they will win $250 in cash!; Chili's Tailgate Tour – Chili's will have a table set-up under the grandstand to pass out coupons for free chips and queso; UF Student Night – The first 250 UF students with valid ID will receive free pizza. Random drawings for prizes will include Gator gear, TV, etc. and one (1) UF student will be selected to win $250 cash.
For a complete list of promotions for Friday's match, please visit the Gator Outlook.
This is the 17th meeting between the two teams and the first time both teams bring a top-10 national ranking. Florida State won the 2005 and 2006 meetings and Florida has taken the last two, including a 1-0 win in 2008 in Tallahassee.
The Gators turned in a pair of home wins last weekend, defeating Duke 2-1 and No. 20 Colorado 3-1. Sophomore Lindsay Thompson scored in both matches and freshman Brooke Thigpen turned in a goal and an assist (vs. Duke) and an assist (vs. Colorado) last weekend. Thigpen was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. Freshman Holly King used a 25-yard left-footed strike to score her first collegiate goal versus Colorado and fellow freshman Erika Tymrak scored the game-winning goal versus Colorado. FSU is the fourth opponent that brings a national ranking into the match with Florida. The Gators opened the season with a 1-0 win at Miami, ranked No. 26 in TopDrawerSoccer.com's Preseason poll. UF lost 3-0 to then No. 9 UCLA on Sept. 6 in Champaign, Ill., and defeated No. 20 Colorado 3-1 on Sept. 13.
Florida is the third ranked opponent for the Seminoles this season. FSU defeated then No. 13 Penn State 2-1 in Tallahassee on Sept. 4. Last week, FSU lost 1-0 2OT at UCF on Sept. 10 and bounced back with an 8-0 home victory over Alabama-Birmingham (then ranked No. 24 by Soccer America) on Sept. 13. Redshirt sophomore Jessica Price leads FSU with six goals and six assists. FSU senior Becky Edwards and junior Amanda DaCosta both appear on both the Soccer America preseason All-America and Missouri Athletics Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy watch list. Edwards joins Florida's Lauren Hyde among the 30 candidates for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. FSU turned in a 17-3-3 record in 2008 and lost 2-0 at Notre Dame in NCAA Elite Eight play.
Live, streaming video can be seen at www.GatorZone.com – just click on the GatorVision icon for more information. Friday's match can also be heard live on AM 850 WRUF and www.GatorZone.com. Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington will cover the action Friday.
