Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida soccer opens one season while another season closes this weekend.

• Southeastern Conference play begins Friday at Vanderbilt. This is the second time Florida opens league play versus Vanderbilt, with the first coming in 2018.

• Regular-season non-conference play closes Sunday when North Florida makes its first visit to the Donald R. Dizney Stadium. UNF is the final of six in-state rivals for Florida this season, equaling an all-time high.

 
Friday, Sept. 17 at Vanderbilt

• Time/Site: 8 p.m. ET at Vanderbilt Soccer Complex
• SEC Network +
• Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM with Kyle Crooks and Matthew Stubbington calling the action
• Tickets: Free admission
• Live Stats

 
Sunday, Sept. 19 versus North Florida

• Time/Site: 6 p.m. ET at Donald R. Dizney Stadium
• SEC Network + with Kyle Crooks and Matthew Stubbington calling the action
• Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM with Marty Pallman and Juan Aguerrevere calling the action
• Tickets: Free admission
• Live Stats

 
Last Time Florida-Vanderbilt Met:
Vanderbilt took a 2-1 double overtime win when the two teams last met at the Dizney Stadium on Oct. 18, 2020. Maddy Rhodes gave Florida a 1-0 halftime lead with her sliding foot getting the scoring touch in the 41^st minute. The Commodores tied the match in the 80^th minute when Raegan Kelley scored. VU's Myra Konte got the golden goal in a scramble in front of the goal in the 103^rd minute.
 
Last Time Florida-North Florida Played:
In the first meeting ever between Florida and North Florida, the Gators took a 2-0 win last spring. Both goals came from UF's Beata Olsson in a 10-minute span of the second half. Madison Alexander assisted on both goals and Maddy Rhodes provided the primary assist on the Olsson's second goal.
 
2021 Records:
Florida (1-5-1, 0-0 SEC)
Vanderbilt (3-4-1, 0-0 SEC)
North Florida (5-1, 0-0 ASUN)
 
Series Records:
Vanderbilt: UF leads 28-4-1
UNF: UF leads 1-0
 
About this Week's Gator Opponents:
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt won the 2020 Southeastern Conference Tournament to earn the league's automatic NCAA berth. The Commodores received an opening round bye and lost to Penn State 2-0 in NCAA Second Round action in Cary, N.C.
 
In 2021, Vanderbilt has faced two ranked opponents in Nashville, falling 2-0 to then No. 5 Duke and 4-1 to then No. 23 Pepperdine. Senior Raegan Kelly leads VU with four goals and nine points. Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Devine has started every match this season and owns a goals-against-average of 1.51.
 
North Florida
North Florida enters Sunday's match on a four-match win streak after defeating Charleston-Southern 2-1 in its last match on Sept. 10.
 
The Ospreys return two Atlantic Sun Players of the Year - graduates Thais Reiss (Player of Year) and Mercedes Sapp (Goalkeeper of the Year). Reiss leads UNF with five goals this fall, including scoring in the last four matches. Her career total of 38 goals is just two away from the Osprey's all-time record. Sapp has started each of UNF's six matches and owns a goals-against-average of 0.66.