SEC Soccer Leaders No. 6 Florida and No. 9 Texas A&M Meet Friday in College Station
Wednesday, October 1, 2014 | Soccer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The only two soccer teams with perfect league records after the opening two weekends of Southeastern Conference play meet Friday at Ellis Field in College Station, Texas. No. 6 Florida is at No. 9 Texas A&M and both teams bring 3-0 league records into the meeting.
| Friday's Match Info: | |
| No. 6 Florida (8-2, 3-0 SEC) at No. 9 Texas A&M (9-1-1, 3-0-0 SEC)
Date & Time: Oct. 3, 2014 @ 8 p.m. ET Site: Ellis Field (3,500) The Coaches: Becky Burleigh, 20th season @ UF (427-115-34/25th season overall – 345-92-28/UF), G Guerrieri, (381-119-27/23rd season overall and 365-107-27/22nd season at TAMU)
Television: none
Streaming video: SEC Network+
Internet: live stats and audio for UF-TAMU match available on GatorZone.com
Admission: Tickets range from $18-$4. Visit the TAMU Ticket Office site for further information. | |
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| @UFGatorSoccer (Becky Burleigh) |
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Watch the stream of the match on SEC Network+ live Friday beginning at 8 p.m. ET or hear Adam Schick's call at GatorZone.com.
Florida at Texas A&M is one of only two matches this weekend featuring current NSCAA top-10 teams (other is No. 5 Virginia Tech at No. 8 North Carolina, also on Friday). This is the third top-10 match-up for the Gators in 2014, with all three coming on the road. Florida won 2-1 at then No. 2 Florida State on Sept. 5 and lost 1-0 OT at then No. 4 Stanford on Sept. 12.
Last Season's Meetings:
Florida and Texas A&M split in their two 2013 meetings. In the SEC Tournament final in Orange Beach, Alabama, Florida lost 2-1 to then No. 21 Texas A&M. Annie Speese gave the Gators a 1-0 halftime lead, but two goals from the Aggies gave them their first SEC Tournament win. In Florida's 2013 regular-season home finale, the Gators took a 2-0 win over Texas A&M to move UF into a tie for first in the SEC. Both goals came in the second half from Savannah Jordan.
Florida's Results from Last Weekend:
The Gators opened 2014 SEC home action Friday with a 2-1 win versus then No. 22 Georgia. The Gators scored first when sophomore Brooke Sharp redirected the ball into the goal in the 24th minute. Georgia tied the match just over four minutes later off the goal from Marion Crowder. The only score of the second half gave Florida the win. Junior Claire Falknor won the ball just below the midfield circle on the Florida half. The long ball she launched found Savannah Jordan midway in the Georgia half. Jordan and the UGA goalkeeper bumped but Jordan continued her run, scoring on the empty goal.
Florida claimed a 3-1 win versus Missouri on Sunday. Both Gators who scored in the opening half – Havana Solaun and Betsy Middleton - turned in their second goals of the season. The Tigers scored early in the second half of a long shot from Alli Magaletta but Jordan's second goal of the weekend in the 58th minute pushed the score to the final 3-1. Jordan's seven goals leads UF in 2014.
After turning in a goal in each match last weekend, Jordan was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. She is the third Gator to earn the honor in 2014.
Texas A&M Soccer in 2014:
The Aggies posted an 18-5-2 overall record last season, advancing to the NCAA Third Round. After opening the 2014 season with four consecutive wins, the Aggies registered a tie (2-2 2OT vs Arizona) and a loss (2-1 at Arizona State) at the Sun Devil Classic. The Aggies have been undefeated since that Arizona trip, clicking off five consecutive wins and outscoring the opponents 14-3. Senior Shea Grooms, who appears on all preseason awards lists, leads the SEC with 24 points off of 11 goals and two assists.
2014 Records:
Florida: 8-2, 3-0 SEC
Texas A&M: 9-1-1, 3-0-0 SEC
Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida shared the 2013 Southeastern Conference title with Texas A&M as each team posted 9-2 league records.
Florida – The Gators are picked to win the Southeastern Conference.
Texas A&M – The Aggies are picked to take second in the SEC.
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 6 and Texas A&M is No. 9 on the sixth National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
