No. 10 Florida Soccer Team Opens SEC Play with Home Match vs. Kentucky Friday
Thursday, September 24, 2009 | Soccer
The No. 10 University of Florida soccer team (6-3, 0-0 SEC) opens Southeastern Conference play by playing host to Kentucky (3-2-3, 0-0 SEC) on Friday, Sept. 25. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the James G. Pressly Stadium. The first 500 fans Friday receive a free reusable canvas grocery bag. Admission is free for all 2009 Gator soccer regular-season matches.
Florida's opening weekend of SEC action has the team facing a pair of league opponents that pushed UF to overtime in 2008. The Gators used a header goal by Jessica Eicken to take a 4-3 OT win at Vanderbilt. Florida trailed Kentucky 2-0, but claimed a 3-2 2OT win off the golden goal from Lindsay Thompson.
| Friday's Match Info: |
| Florida vs. Kentucky Friday, Sept. 25 @ 7 p.m. (ET) Site: James G. Pressly Stadium (4,500) Admission: free The Coaches: Becky Burleigh, 15th season @ UF (336-90-27/20 seasons overall - 254-67-21/UF), John Lipsitz, first season at UK and eighth overall (104-35-11) Television: none Radio: WRUF AM 850; simulcast on Cox Cable 946 in Gainesville/Ocala Internet: live stats & streaming audio for UF-UK 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: SEC Together We CAN – A member of Florida's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will take your donations of canned goods and other non-perishable food items at the gate. The donations will be given to Gainesville's Bread of the Mighty Food Bank; Fraternity Challenge – There will be a fraternity attendance challenge where the top 3 organizations with the highest percentage of members attending will win a prize. The first 250 fraternity members receive Gator morph balls and free hot dog and soda; Reusable Canvas Grocery Bag Giveaway – The first 500 fans receive reusable bags; Junior Gator Kids Zone – All kids, 12 and under, can participate in a goal-kick challenge, can have their face painted, spin the prize wheel, and have photo opportunities with the Alberta and the Dazzlers For a complete list of promotions for Friday's match, please visit the Gator Outlook. |
Both teams are coming off wins after losing or tying in last Friday's action. The Gators lost 1-0 in overtime to No. 5 Florida State on Friday. It was the first overtime in the 17-match series between the two teams. The UF-FSU match, featuring a pair of top-10 teams, was evenly played as both teams registered nine shots. The match was played in front of a crowd of 3,526 – the fifth largest crowd in the program's 15-year history. In the non-conference season finale on Sunday, Sept. 20, Florida turned in a 5-1 win over Eastern Kentucky. A pair of Gator freshmen turned in two goals each in the win, including Natalia Torosian scoring the first and game-winning goals. Both of her goals came from a distance as the first was from 25 yards and the second from 18 yards. Fellow freshman Brooke Thigpen turned in the third and final goals. She shares UF's season goals lead with Thompson (who scored the fourth goal vs. EKU) at four goals each.
The Kentucky Wildcats opened last weekend with a 0-0 2OT tie with Western Kentucky. UK bounced back with a 3-0 win Sunday over Tennessee Tech. Sophomore Jenna Goblirsch leads UK in points with two goals and one assist for five points. John Lipsitz is in his first season as the Wildcats head coach. He spent the previous four seasons at Charlotte. UK Assistant Coach Aaron Rodgers served as Florida's volunteer coach in 2008, overseeing the goalkeepers. Last season, UK turned in a 5-12-2 record and finished tied for 10th in the SEC.
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 or via simulcast on Gainesville/Ocala Cox Cable channel 946 and www.GatorZone.com. Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington will cover the action Friday.
