No. 9 Gator Soccer Orange & Blue Scrimmage Set for Friday at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011 | Soccer
Florida fans can get their first glimpse of the Gator soccer team Friday at the Orange & Blue Scrimmage. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the team's practice field located at the UF Lacrosse/Soccer Facility. The facility is located on Hull Road across from the Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium.
| Attention Gator Soccer Fans!
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Florida is No. 9 on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Continental Tire preseason poll released Aug. 9. The Gators are the five-time defending Southeastern Conference champions and advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of the last eight seasons.
The 2011 Gators will be fairly even between upper and lower classmen, as 17 are either freshmen or sophomores and 14 are junior or seniors. Four of Florida's 2010 NSCAA All-South Region and All-SEC selectio
ns return in 2011 – midfielders Tahnai Annis, Taylor Travis and Erika Tymrak plus defender Kathryn Williamson. Both Annis and Williamson were named NSCAA All-Americans and Williamson picked up the SEC Defensive Player of the Year honor. Williamson also is listed as a 2011 preseason All-American by All White Kit, a website dedicated to women's soccer. The top five Gator goal scorers and point leaders from the 2010 campaign are back this season – Annis (13 goals, 7 assists, 33 points), McKenzie Barney (14g, 4a, 32pts), Tymrak (6g, 13a, 25pts), Lindsay Thompson (8g, 4a, 20pts), and Travis (3g, 11a, 17pts).
The 13-member incoming class is a gifted group, bringing extensive playing experience from state, regional, national and international age-group levels. Four of the newest Gators appeared on TopDrawerSoccer.com's Top 100 players – Tessa Andujar (San Clemente, Calif.), Annie Bobbitt (Jacksonville, Fla.), Annie Speese (Augusta, Ga.) and Jillian Graff (Medina, Ohio). Gainesville's Havana Solaun represented the U.S. at the CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship in Costa Rica in March of 2010. Goalkeeper Taylor Burke (Medina, Ohio) is a high school All-American in both soccer and track & field, as she set the nation's top 2011 prep high jump mark of 6-1 ? this spring.
Soccer will again be the first Florida team to compete this season, as the Gators open the 2011 season with four consecutive road matches. The season begins at Miami on Aug. 19 and then at Florida International on Aug. 21. The second weekend sends the Gators to Knoxville, Tenn., to face a pair of preseason top-20 teams who earned NCAA Championship berths in 2010. Florida faces No. 11 Texas A&M on Aug. 26 and then meets No. 16 UCLA on Aug. 28. The home season begins Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. versus Texas Tech.
