GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida soccer team returns home to play host to Georgia on Thursday for the Kicking for the Cure match.
Start time is now 4 p.m. due to possible weather in the area. The match will be held at the James G. Pressly Stadium and admission is free.
October is breast cancer awareness month and the Gators will wear
pink Thursday to show their support for those fighting or who have fought breast cancer.
Match Promotions:
- Kicking for the Cure - It's October, so join us at Gators Soccer and support Breast Cancer Awareness at Kicking for the Cure!
- Gators Kicking for the Cure Sunglasses - the first 500 fans in attendance will receive free pink Kicking for the Cure sunglasses.
- Rally Against Cancer – the first 250 fans Thursday get a free pink Kicking for the Cure rally towel.
- SAAC Food Drive – Bring a canned food item to add to the donations for the Field & Fork Pantry.
Last meeting:
The two teams last met in Athens for the 2015 regular-season finale for both teams. Florida scored twice in the opening half, with both goals coming off the foot of
Savannah Jordan (21st and 45th minutes). The final goal came when Jordan drew a penalty kick.
Pamela Begic successfully converted the shot in the 55
th minute. Florida took a 3-0 win, which also claimed the team's 2015 SEC regular-season title.
Last Match:
Last week, the Gators took a 3-0 win at LSU on the final day of September for the only match of the weekend for both teams. Three different Gators scored Friday, with the first coming when
Melanie Monteagudo volleyed in the cross from
Sammie Betters in the 10
th minute. Two freshmen scored Florida's second half goals.
Kit Loferski scored at 56:03 on a short shot off the square pass from
Sarah Troccoli. The first collegiate goal from
Julia Lester off the assist from Monteagudo in the 89
th minute closed the scoring for the match. The shutout was Florida's third of the season and second consecutive.
After playing a role in Florida's first and final goals at LSU,
Monteagudo picked up the SEC Offensive Player of the Week honor on Oct. 3. She now is second among the Gators with five goals and third with 11 points. She is the third Gator to be honored by the league this season, joining Jordan (Week 1 – Offensive) and
Kaylan Marckese (Week 2 – Defensive).
Here's how to follow the Gators
Thursday's match will stream on
WatchESPN with Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington calling the action.
Fans can listen to the call of the action at
FloridaGators.com.
About the Georgia Bulldogs:
Georgia is 3-8-1 this season and is looking for its first league win. Senior Marion Crowder leads UGA in goals (5) and points (11). Junior Louise Hogrell has played all but 15 minutes in goal for Georgia this season and owns a 1.91 goals against average.
Florida owns a 27-2-1 advantage in the all-time series, with two of the last five meetings being decided by a single goal.
Billy Lesesne is in his second season as head coach of the Georgia program.
2016 Records:
Florida: 8-3, 3-2 SEC
UGA: 3-8-1, 0-5 SEC
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 fifth with a 3-2 record and Georgia is 14th with a 0-5 record.
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 16 on the latest
National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
