Top 10 Soccer Teams Meet Friday in Tallahassee ? No. 8 Florida at No. 2 Florida State
Thursday, September 4, 2014 | Soccer
GAINESVILLE, Florida – Only one meeting between the nation's top-10 soccer teams is scheduled for this weekend and that match will be played Friday in Tallahassee. No. 8 Florida and No. 2 Florida State meet at the Seminole Soccer Complex and match time is set for 7 p.m. The contest will stream live on ESPN3.
| Friday's Match Info: | |
| No. 8 Florida (3-1, 0-0 SEC) at No. 2 Florida State (4-0, 0-0 ACC)
Date & Time: Sept. 5, 2014 @ 7 p.m. ET Site: Seminole Soccer Complex (2,000) The Coaches: Becky Burleigh, 20th season @ UF (422-114-34/25th season overall – 340-91-28/UF), Mark Krikorian, (337-90-23/21st season overall and 169-41-17/11th season at FSU)
Television: none
Streaming video: ESPN3
Internet: live stats and audio for UF-FSU match available on GatorZone.com
Admission: free | |
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| @UFGatorSoccer (Becky Burleigh) |
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This is the first of two consecutive road matches versus top-four teams for the Gators, as UF is at No. 4 Stanford next Friday evening. It is also the second of three consecutive matches versus teams which advanced to 2013 NCAA play.
Friday's match is the midway mark of a six-match road stretch for the Gators, equaling the longest in the program's history (also six straight road matches in 1999 and 2002). During this six-match road swing, the Gators will travel more than 9,000 miles.
Last Meeting Between Florida-FSU:
Last season, the Gators lost 3-0 to No. 3 Florida State in front of 4,279 – the fifth-largest crowd ever at the James G. Pressly Stadium. The Seminoles' scoring all came in the opening half, with Dagny Brynjarsdottir hitting two goals and Michaela Hahn scoring in the final minute of the half.
Last Weekend's Gator Results:
The Gators split last weekend in their trip to the Sooner State. UF opened road action with a 2-1 loss at Oklahoma on Aug. 29. The Sooners scored early in the match in the sixth minute when Rachel Ressler one-touched the ball in from just above the six-yard box. A second-half penalty kick pushed the OU lead to 2-0. A pair of Gator sophomores teamed up to find the net in the 72nd minute. Meggie Dougherty-Howard carved her way through the midfield to send the ball to Savannah Jordan. Her shot hit the near post and kicked in for Jordan's second goal of 2014.
Four different Gators scored in the 4-0 win at Oklahoma State on Sunday, giving UF its biggest offensive output of the season. Senior Havana Solaun turned in the Gators' earliest score of the year when she hit her first goal of the season at 2:11. Jordan scored her second goal of the weekend, just beating the goalkeeper to put it in the 74th minute. Florida's Brookes combined to score in the 87th minute. Brooke Sharp brought the ball through the box with Brooke Smith mirroring her run. Sharp's pass found Brooke Smith for a tap-in from four yards. Then with just 36 seconds remaining, Sharp blasted the ball from Pamela Begić to score from 21 yards.
Seminole Soccer in 2014:
Florida State posted a 23-2-3 overall record in 2013. FSU lost 1-0 in overtime to UCLA in the 2013 NCAA College Cup title match. FSU is 4-0 this season after wins versus Portland (1-0), Minnesota (4-1), at Oklahoma State (2-1 2OT) and at Oklahoma (1-0).
The Seminoles had two play at the 2014 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup, held last month in Canada. Sophomore Nickolette Driesse was on the U.S. team and freshman Emma Koivisto was on Finland's roster. Dagny Brynjarsdottir leads the Seminoles this season with three goals, including one in each match last weekend in the Sooner State.
2014 Records:
Florida: 3-1, 0-0 SEC
Florida State: 4-0, 0-0 ACC
Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida shared the 2013 Southeastern Conference title with Texas A&M as each team posted 9-2 league records. FSU took second in the Atlantic Coast Conference with its 10-1-2 league record.
Florida – The Gators are picked to win the Southeastern Conference.
FSU – The Seminoles are picked to win the ACC.
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 8 and FSU is No. 2 on the second National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
