Florida Soccer Announces 2011 Schedule
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 | Soccer
The 2011 University of Florida soccer team's schedule will test the defending Southeastern Conference champions, as the Gators face five opponents who advanced to last season's NCAA Championship field.
“We want to test this team throughout the entire regular season because that is the preparation needed for the post-season,” UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh said. “The Southeastern Conference continues to gain power each season. We will need to be prepared for every league match.”
| Did You Know… |
| Florida faces five teams in the upcoming season who received a berth in the 2010 NCAA Championships field. This is the 16th time in the program's history the Gators have faced five or more teams who advanced to the previous year's NCAA Championships. |
By the time dates in the month of September hit double digits, the Gators will have met three teams who received berths in the 2010 NCAA Championship field. Florida faces a pair of 2010 NCAA teams – Texas A&M on Aug. 26 and UCLA on Aug. 28 – at the Lady Vol Classic in Knoxville, Tenn. Florida meets 2010 NCAA quarterfinalist Florida State on Friday, Sept. 9 at the James G. Pressly Stadium.
Two other teams which played in last year's NCAA Championship field come to Pressly Stadium in 2011. Auburn, the only SEC team to post a win over the Gators in 2010, meets Florida for an Oct. 7 match. Florida finishes the 2011 regular season with an Oct. 28 meeting with South Carolina. The two teams met twice with a league championship on the line in the span of just over week in 2010. Florida took 1-0 wins over the Gamecocks to claim the 2010 SEC title (Oct. 29) and the SEC Tournament (Nov. 7) win.
The season begins with two road weekends. For the third consecutive year, Florida meets Miami for the season opener. In the 2010 season opener in Gainesville, the Gators took a 2-1 double overtime win over the Hurricanes. The Gators meet Miami in Coral Gables on Aug. 19 and then faces Florida International in Miami on Aug. 21. Florida finishes the month of August by making its first appearance in the Lady Vol Classic in Knoxville, Tenn., facing Texas A&M and UCLA.
Three consecutive matches open Florida's home season, beginning with the first-ever meeting between Florida and Texas Tech on Sept. 2. Florida State is next on Sept. 9 and then UF finishes the weekend with its second first-time opponent of 2011, Florida Gulf Coast, on Sept. 11.
Another four-match road stretch begins with a trip to the Midwest. Florida faces Missouri on Sept. 16 and then Kansas on Sept. 18. The SEC season begins Sept. 23 at Georgia. Florida makes a return trip to Knoxville, Tenn., to face Tennessee on Sept. 25.
Four consecutive home matches are next for UF. Vanderbilt visits Pressly Stadium on Sept. 30, followed by Kentucky on Oct. 2. 2010 SEC Western Division champion Auburn comes to town for an Oct. 7 match and the home stand ends with Alabama on Oct. 9.
Three consecutive road matches are next. Florida travels to the Magnolia State to face Mississippi on Oct. 14 and Mississippi State on Oct. 16. The final road contest of the SEC schedule sends Florida to Arkansas on Oct. 20.
Florida finishes the SEC schedule with a pair of home matches. LSU visits Pressly Stadium on Oct. 23 and South Carolina on Oct. 28.
The 2011 SEC Tournament, set for Nov. 2-6, makes its fifth consecutive appearance in Orange Beach, Ala. The NCAA Championships' 64-team field will be announced on Nov. 7.
During the 2010 season, Florida turned in a record of 19-2-3, which included a 9-1-1 record in SEC play. The Gators advanced to the 2010 NCAA Second Round and won its 11th SEC title. The Gators ranked No. 12 on the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
| 2011 University of Florida Soccer Schedule | |||
| Date | Opponent | Site |
|
| Fri., Aug. 19 | Miami | Coral Gables, Fla. | |
| Sun., Aug. 21 | Florida International | Miami, Fla. | |
| Fri., Aug. 26 | Texas A&M | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| Sun., Aug. 28 | UCLA | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| Fri., Sept. 2 | Texas Tech | Gainesville, Fla. | |
| Fri., Sept. 9 | Florida State | Gainesville, Fla. | |
| Sun., Sept. 11 | Florida Gulf Coast | Gainesville, Fla. | |
| Fri., Sept. 16 | Missouri | Columbia, Mo. | |
| Sun., Sept. 18 | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. | |
| Fri., Sept. 23 | Georgia | Athens, Ga. | |
| Sun., Sept. 25 | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| Fri., Sept. 30 | Vanderbilt | Gainesville, Fla. | |
| Sun., Oct. 2 | Kentucky | Gainesville, Fla. | |
| Fri., Oct. 7 | Auburn | Gainesville, Fla. | |
| Sun., Oct. 9 | Alabama | Gainesville, Fla. | |
| Fri., Oct. 14 | Mississippi | Oxford, Miss. | |
| Sun., Oct. 16 | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | |
| Thurs., Oct. 20 | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | |
| Sun., Oct. 23 | LSU | Gainesville, Fla. | |
| Fri., Oct. 28 | South Carolina | Gainesville, Fla. | |
| Nov. 2-6 | Southeastern Conference Tournament | Orange Beach, Ala. | |
| Shading denotes home matches played at James G. Pressly Stadium | |||
