GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida soccer starts a three-match home stand Sunday against instate rival UCF. Match time is set for 7 p.m. ET at the James G. Pressly Stadium. Admission is free for all Gator soccer home regular-season matches.
The first 250 fans Sunday get a Bang-a-Banners. It is Florida's "Green Game" and information about sustainability and going green will be at Sunday's event.
Last meeting:
When the two teams met for the 2015 season opener, Florida took a 2-0 win at preseason No. 17 Central Florida. The first shot of
Mayra Pelayo's career scored at the upper far slot from 22 yards in the 32
nd minute. In the second half,
Savannah Jordan headed in a
Pamela Begic cross to the near post.
Last Match:
The Gators finished a five-match road stretch with a 2-1 loss at Arkansas Friday. Lightning and heavy rains in the Fayetteville area caused an almost two-hour delay from its original 7 p.m. CT start time. When the match did start, Arkansas scored twice in a three-minute span to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. Both goals came from UA junior Jessi Hartzler – the first on an unassisted strike from 20-yards in the 23rd minute. Then Hartzler headed in a corner kick in the 25th minute. Gator senior
Meggie Dougherty Howard cut the lead in half with her sliding shot off a
Gabby Seiler corner kick in the 50th minutes. Despite outshooting the Razorbacks 15-3 in the second half, the Gators couldn't find the tying goal. The win was the first for Arkansas in the all-time 21-match series.
Here's how to follow the Gators
Sunday's match will stream on
WatchESPN.
Fans can listen to Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington's call of the action at ESPN Gainesville 95.3 or on
FloridaGators.com.
About the UCF Knights:
UCF has opened the season with a 5-3 record. The two teams have met one common opponent, both in Stillwater, Okla., on the same weekend. UCF posted a come-from-behind 3-2 win at Oklahoma State on Sept. 2 and then UF took a 7-2 victory on Sept. 4. UCF is coming off another road come-from-behind win last Sunday at Florida Gulf Coast (4-3). Senior Carol Rodrigues leads the Knights this season with 15 points (7 goals, 1 assist).
Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak, a member of the U.S.'s 1999 FIFA World Cup gold medal team, is in her fourth year as UCF's head coach.
2016 Records:
Florida: 5-2, 1-1 SEC
UCF: 5-3, 0-0 AAC
Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida swept the 2015 SEC titles (regular-season and tournament). UCF was third in 2015 American Athletic Conference standings.
Florida – The Gators are picked to win the 2016 Southeastern Conference title.
UCF – The Knights are picked to take third in the 2016 American Athletic Conference.
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 4 on the latest
National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
