GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida soccer team took a 3-1 win over Georgia Thursday afternoon at the James G. Pressly Stadium.
 
Thursday match was moved up two hours to a 4 p.m. start time due to anticipated weather issues as Hurricane Matthew approaches the state. It was nearly a perfect start time, as the rain started in the final minutes of the match.
 
Florida won pink Thursday to show their support in the fight against breast cancer. This was Florida's eighth "Kicking for the Cure" match (first in 2009).
 
How the Gators Scored:
The only goal of the opening half started with a pass from the middle of the field by Erika Nelson. Betsy Middleton let the ball roll through her legs to catch a sprinting Rachelle Smith making a run down the left sideline. Smith sent a ball to Meggie Dougherty Howard located just inside the top of the box. Dougherty Howard moved left, then spun toward goal and hit a seven yard left-footed strike to the far corner at 42:38.
 
Florida scored early in the second half when Savannah Jordan took a shot from the top of the box and Georgia's Caroline Waters was called for a handball. Jordan put in the penalty kick at 49:05.
 
Jordan scored her second goal of the day – and the 75^th of her career – when she received the ball at the top of the box from Brooke Sharp. She moved forward in box and then collected the ball when it was poked away. She spun with the ball and buried a right-footed shot from 10 yards in the 67th minute.
 
Georgia ended Florida's two-match shutout streak with Mariel Gutierrez's goal in the 73^rd minute. Gutierrez intercepted a pass just above the Florida box and scored on a 20-yard left footed shot.
 
Worth Noting:

• With her 75^th collegiate goal, Jordan became one of 27 in NCAA history to reach that mark. Of those 27, only seven have scored 75 or more goals since 2000. It was her 10^th goal of 2016.
• Dougherty Howard shares second among the Gators with five goals scored in 2016. That is a collegiate season high for Dougherty Howard, as her previous high was three goals in 2015. Her 14 points (5 goals, 4 assists) equals her collegiate season high set in 2015.
• Two Gators registered their first assists of the season in Thursday's win – Smith and Sharp.
• Jordan has scored seven goals versus Georgia during her collegiate career, including a pair as a freshman, junior and senior. Only Gator Great Abby Wambach scored more goals versus the Bulldogs (8).
• Sophomore goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese turned in a collegiate-high of six saves Thursday. It was the third time in 2016 and the fourth time of her Gator career she posted six saves.

 
2016 Records:
Florida: 9-3, 4-2 SEC
UGA: 3-9-1, 0-6 SEC
 
Gator Sound Bites:
On today's performance:
"It was kind of an interesting game because of the time change. It was really important for us to come out strong. It was big to get the goal right before halftime. Obviously, we had a lot of chances and we would have liked to put them away earlier, but credit Georgia for hanging around. 
 
"We talk a lot about playing for each other. We don't want to be a team that plays with each other, we want to be a team that plays for each other. I think you're starting to see more and more of that. I'm really happy to see that because that is something that is really going to pay off as we continue the season. 
 
"We're creating a lot of chances. In our sport, sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't. So you really need to focus on creating opportunities, and I think we're doing a good job at that." – Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
 
On the Gators' performance Thursday:
"Georgia came out really hard, and I think defensively they were really prepared to play us. Our team did a really good job of keeping the ball and keeping possession. I think it opened up a lot for us in the second half. We stayed under control, and I'm really proud of how our team played today. 
 
"We're doing a really good job at keeping the ball. The more patient that we stay, the better we are. The biggest thing that our coaches enforce on us is keeping the ball moving and let the ball do the work. I think if we continue doing that through the SEC and into postseason I think that we'll be great." – senior forward Savannah Jordan
 
On the flow of today's match:
"It was good for us to get the goal going into halftime because we really hadn't been putting pressure on them. It was good for us to get rewarded with a goal. 
 
"We started off a little slow at the beginning of the game. I think it took us a little time to get into the game, but when we got settled things opened up. When we settle down and we're able to play one and two touch passes, it's really hard for teams to defend us. 
 
"It's good momentum for us going into the last few SEC games. I think we know what we have to do: we have to win the rest of these games. We're under a little bit of pressure, but I think that's good for us. It keeps us motivated and keeps us strong and tight in practice and games. I think we have a hunger inside of us and we're just fighting." – senior midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard
 
On Sunday's match at Mississippi:
"We've had a hard time with games at Ole Miss, so we're not going in there and expecting an easy one. They've got some talented players that are going to make things difficult for us, especially some of their attacking players." – Florida Head Coach Becky Burleigh
 
Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida swept the 2015 SEC titles (regular-season and tournament). Georgia tied for ninth in 2015 SEC standings. 
Current standings: Florida is tied for fourth with a 4-2 record and Georgia is 14^th with a 0-6 record.
 
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 16 on the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
 
Next up:
Florida begins a two-match road swing at Mississippi on Sunday, Oct. 9. That match airs live on the SEC Network beginning at 6 p.m. ET. Mississippi is 7-6 this season and 2-3 in the SEC. The Rebels play at Alabama Thursday evening.
 
Last year, Florida claimed its first SEC win with a 4-1 home victory over Mississippi.
 
The match streams live on SEC Network + and can be heard ESPN Gainesville 95.3 FM or on FloridaGators.com.
 
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Georgia at No. 16 Florida
Stadium: James G. Pressly Stadium (575)
Weather: partly cloudy with rain near end, 78 degrees, 84% humidity, NNE 15 mph
 

Goals by Period	1	2	Total
UGA	0	1	1
Florida	1	2	3

 
 Scoring Summary:

No.	Time	Team	Goal Scorer	Assist	Description
1.	42:38	UF	Meggie Dougherty Howard	Rachelle Smith	7yds shot to far corner
2.	49:05	UF	Savannah Jordan		Penalty Kick
3.	66:15	UF	Savannah Jordan	Brooke Sharp	10yd shot
4.	72:50	UGA	Mariel Gutierrez		20yd shot off turnover

 
Shots: UGA 11, Florida 15
Saves: Georgia 2(Louise Hogrell 2), Florida 6 (Kaylan Marckese 6)
 
Cautions and Ejections:
none