Florida Gators

ORANGE BEACH, Fla. – Florida faces South Carolina in Friday's opening semifinal match of the 2016 Southeastern Conference Soccer Tournament. Match time is set for 4:30 p.m. ET at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
 
South Carolina is the tournament's top seed after becoming the first SEC team since the 2008 Gators to win the regular-season title with an 11-0 league record. The Gators tied for third in 2016 SEC regular-season action with an 8-3 record and enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed.
 
Florida has advanced to the SEC Tournament each year of the program's history, winning 11 titles including the 2015 crown. This is the 19th time in the program's 22 SEC Tournament appearances that Florida has advanced to the semifinal round.
 
Here's how to follow the Gators
Can't be in Orange Beach for Friday's match? Here's how to follow the action:
 

• Watch the match live on SEC Network beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET. Gator Great and past U.S. National Team member Heather Mitts and Jenn Hildreth will call the action and Jill Loyden will be reporting from the sideline.
• Follow the stream of the Florida-USC match on WatchESPN
• Hear Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington's call of Friday's match on FloridaGators.com

 
Regular-Season Meeting Between Florida and USC:
When these two teams met last month in Columbia, S.C., the Gators lost 1-0 on a penalty kick in the 103rd minute. In the 28-match all-time series between the two teams, six have gone to overtime – including three of the last four. Florida's goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese equaled her collegiate-high of six saves for the fourth time this season in that match.
 
How Florida Advanced to SEC Tournament Semifinal:
Florida advanced to the SEC Tournament semifinal after taking an 8-7 penalty kicks advantage versus Missouri in Wednesday's round of eight action. The two teams played to a 3-3 double overtime tie, the second tie in all-time nine match series. The match saw every score line scenario – Florida trailed, then tied and took a two-goal lead which evaporated when the Tigers scored twice in the span of a minute in the second half.
 
A trio of sophomore played a big part in Wednesday's storyline. Florida's scoring came from a pair of sophomores, with Melanie Monteagudo hitting the first and final Gator goals and Sarah Troccoli scoring off a first-half corner kick. Late in regulation, sophomore goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese stopped a Tiger penalty kick to keep the match tied at 3-all. She also made the stop on Missouri's eighth penalty kick attempt.
 
In the penalty kicks, Florida converted all eight attempts, with Monteagudo hitting the decisive penalty kick. Florida has been pushed to penalty kicks four times in SEC Tournament history and the 2016 result was the first time UF advanced.
 
About the USC Gamecocks:
South Carolina is the only unbeaten team remaining in 2016 NCAA Division I play. At No. 2, the Gamecocks bring the top ranking to SEC Tournament play since the 1999 Gators (also No. 2).
 
Junior Savannah McCaskill, the 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, leads the SEC in goals (16) and points (40). Senior Kaleigh Kurtz is the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Freshman goalkeeper Mikayla Krzeczowski has played all but three matches for USC this season and her 0.43 goals against average ranks among the nation's top 10.
 
USC advanced to the SEC Tournament semifinal with a 2-1 win over Texas A&M Wednesday evening.
 
Shelley Smith, the 2016 SEC Coach of the Year, is in her 16th season as head of the USC program. 
 
SEC Honors Gators:
Five Gators appear on the 2016 All-SEC teams, announced Oct. 30 by the league office. Three appear on the first team – Savannah Jordan, Meggie Dougherty Howard and Gabby Seiler. Redshirt junior Kristen Cardano earned a spot on the second team. Lester is part of the SEC All-Freshman Team.
 
The three Gators on the All-SEC first team have made multiple appearances on All-SEC teams. Dougherty Howard was a 2015 All-SEC second team selection. Seiler also was part of the All-SEC first team in 2014 when she was with Georgia. Jordan joins Gator Great Abby Wambach as the only two in the program's history to appear on the All-SEC first team for four consecutive seasons. 
 
Team Records:
Florida: 13-4-1, 8-3 SEC – SEC Tournament No. 4 seed
USC: 18-0-1, 11-0 SEC – SEC Tournament No. 1 seed
 
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 15 on the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll and South Carolina is No. 2.