No. 7 Florida Soccer Opens SEC Home Action Friday with No. 22 Georgia
Wednesday, September 24, 2014 | Soccer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After a six-match road stretch, the University of Florida soccer team returns home for a pair of matches versus Southeastern Conference rivals. The weekend opens with Georgia on Friday, Sept. 26. Match time is set for 7 p.m. ET at the James G. Pressly Stadium. Admission is free for all Gator soccer regular-season home matches.
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| No. 7 Florida (6-2, 1-0 SEC) versus No. 22 Georgia (6-1-1, 1-0-1 SEC)
Date & Time: Sept. 26, 2014 @ 7 p.m. ET Site: James G. Pressly Stadium (4,500) The Coaches: Becky Burleigh, 20th season @ UF (425-115-34/25th season overall – 343-92-28/UF), Steve Holeman, (214-156-41/20th season overall and 49-32-10/fifth season at UGA)
Television: none
Streaming video: SECNetwork+
Internet: live stats and audio for UF-UGA match available on GatorZone.com
Admission: Free admission
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| @UFGatorSoccer (Becky Burleigh) | ||||||||||||||
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The first 500 fans and 500 UF students Friday receive Florida tank tops. Be sure to bring a non-perishable food item to donate at the gate for Gator Soccer's Strike Out Hunger initiative. When you bring a food item to donate, you can register to win a Florida Soccer prize pack.
Watch the match live on SEC Network+ or hear Adam Schick's call at GatorZone.com.
Last Meeting:
Florida and Georgia last met in Athens for the regular-season finale of the 2013 season. The Gators posted a 5-1 win on Halloween to finish with a league record of 9-2 to share the SEC title with Texas A&M. Florida got goals from Christen Westphal and Havana Solaun along with a pair of goals from Savannah Jordan in the opening half. Florida's final goal came off the foot of Annie Speese, who put in a penalty kick in the 65th minute.
In Florida's SEC Opener Last Friday:
In the opening weekend of 2014 SEC play, the Gators traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to face the Crimson Tide. The Gators claimed a 2-1 win in a match which saw all the scoring happen within a four-minute span. Sophomore Liz Slattery put the ball in off the scrum following a Christen Westphal free kick at 74:00. Senior Lauren Silver's free kick went in untouched to give the Gators a 2-0 lead. The Tide cut the lead to a single goal when Laura Lee Smith scored at 78:00 off a cross. The win gives UF a 16-3-1 all-time record in SEC openers.
Georgia Soccer in 2014:
Georgia's 6-1-1 record includes a 1-0 win over then No. 17 UCF. The Bulldogs and Mississippi share the early 2014 lead in the SEC with four points. Georgia earned its points with a 1-1 2OT tie versus Mississippi in the season opener and a 3-1 victory over Vanderbilt on Sunday. Sophomore Gabby Seiler leads the Bulldogs with 17 points this season off of five goals and seven assists. Sophomore Marion Crowder is the reigning College Sports Madness SEC Player of the Week after scoring her fourth and fifth goals of 2014 in last Sunday's 3-1 win over Vanderbilt.
2014 Records:
Florida: 6-2, 1-0 SEC
Georgia: 6-1-1, 1-0-1 SEC
Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida shared the 2013 Southeastern Conference title with Texas A&M as each team posted 9-2 league records. Georgia took sixth in the SEC in 2013 with its 5-5-1 record.
Florida – The Gators are picked to win the Southeastern Conference.
UGA – The Bulldogs are picked to take seventh in the SEC.
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 7 and Georgia is No. 22 on the fifth National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
This is the third Friday of 2014 that Florida faces a top-25 team (2-1 win at then No. 2 Florida State on Sept. 5 & 1-0 OT loss at then No. 4 Stanford on Sept. 12).
