Friday, September 18
Starkville, MS
7 p.m.
Florida Gators
4-3-2, 0-1-1
2
at
2
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Mississippi State
7-1-1, 1-0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Mississippi St. | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Kyra Taylor (#3) celebrates her tying goal with the Gators Friday. Florida and Mississippi State played to a 2-2 draw in Starkville, Miss. [Photo: Maddie Washburn]
Florida, Mississippi State Play to 2-2 Draw
Friday, September 18, 2026 | Soccer
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Florida soccer scored twice in the second half to earn a 2-2 draw at Mississippi State on Friday evening in front of a season-high crowd of 1,064 at the MSU Soccer Field.
Tonight's Match Friday's match featured several familiar faces, as Florida head coach Nick Zimmerman returned to Mississippi State, where he spent the seven previous seasons, including as head coach in 2025. Seven players transferred from Mississippi State to Florida in the spring, joining Zimmerman for his first season with the Gators in 2026. Tonight's Scoring Mississippi State scored the only goal of the opening half in the 11th minute. Kara Harris' shot from distance hit the crossbar and bounced back into play, where Hailey Johnson headed it in from six yards to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
Florida came out on the attack in the second half. Freshman Mia Gray sent an angled shot toward the far post in the 49th minute. The ball deflected off a Mississippi State defender before Bulldogs goalkeeper Jenny Harrison ended the threat.
Mississippi State regained the lead in the 64th minute. Chiara Tappe's free kick found Eden Nicholson at the far post, and Nicholson headed the ball in from six yards for a 2-1 advantage.
Florida had one final opportunity to claim the win in the closing seconds, but Harrison saved Symmonds' shot with less than 15 seconds remaining.
The result marked the third draw in the 23-match all-time series between Florida and Mississippi State.
Coach Zimmerman Said "Really proud of the character the group showed to come back twice on the road and having a chance at the end to win it. This league continues to get better and every game comes down to moments. We will continue to learn from this as we move forward!" — Florida head coach Nick Zimmerman
Records
Florida: 4-3-2, 0-1-1 SEC
Mississippi State: 7-1-1, 1-0-1 SEC
Series
Florida leads 17-3-3
Next Up
Florida opens SEC home action Thursday, Sept. 24 with Texas (5-2-2, 0-1-1 SEC). The Longhorns tied No. 8 Tennessee 2-2 tonight in Austin, Texas.
vs Texas
Date: Thursday, Sept. 24
Time: 6 p.m. ET at Donald R. Dizney Stadium
Streaming Video: SEC Network +
Live Stats
Admission: Free
Promotions: Fall Wardrobe Addition: The first day of fall is Tuesday, Sept. 22. Be among the first 250 fans Friday to get a Gator scarf to prepare for the coming cooler temperatures.
Florida (4-3-2, 0-1-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (7-1-1, 0-1-1 SEC)
Stadium: MSU Soccer Field (1,064)
Weather: 95 degrees, 57% humidity, Winds SE at 4 mph, clear
Scoring Summary:
Shots: Florida 15, MSU 10
Saves: Florida 3 (Jayden Emmanuel 3), MSU 4 (Jenny Harrison 4)
Cautions: 11:45: Chiara Tappe-MSU (yellow)
Tonight's Match Friday's match featured several familiar faces, as Florida head coach Nick Zimmerman returned to Mississippi State, where he spent the seven previous seasons, including as head coach in 2025. Seven players transferred from Mississippi State to Florida in the spring, joining Zimmerman for his first season with the Gators in 2026. Tonight's Scoring Mississippi State scored the only goal of the opening half in the 11th minute. Kara Harris' shot from distance hit the crossbar and bounced back into play, where Hailey Johnson headed it in from six yards to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
Florida came out on the attack in the second half. Freshman Mia Gray sent an angled shot toward the far post in the 49th minute. The ball deflected off a Mississippi State defender before Bulldogs goalkeeper Jenny Harrison ended the threat.
The Gators pulled even in the 60th minute after video review determined Mississippi State committed a handball in the box. Junior Skye Barnes converted the ensuing penalty kick for her first goal of the season. It was Florida's second successful penalty kick of the season. Hannah Jibril converted the Gators' first in the season opener at UCF.Skye Barnes scores the penalty to bring the Gators up 1️⃣ Gators 1, Mississippi State 1 🎥 SEC Network+ https://t.co/utAh9pVbbP
— Gators Soccer (@GatorsSoccer) September 19, 2026
Mississippi State regained the lead in the 64th minute. Chiara Tappe's free kick found Eden Nicholson at the far post, and Nicholson headed the ball in from six yards for a 2-1 advantage.
Kyra Taylor scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season to tie the match in the 78th minute. Adia Symmonds sent Florida's eighth corner kick of the match into the middle of the box, where Lena Bailey and a pair of Mississippi State defenders battled for the ball. It popped out near the top of the box and Norah Abbott sent it back into traffic. Taylor finished from six yards to make it 2-2.KYRA TAYLOR EVENS THE SCORE 🔥 Gators 2, Mississippi State 2 🎥 SEC Network + https://t.co/QRxZy2ysMP
— Gators Soccer (@GatorsSoccer) September 19, 2026
Florida had one final opportunity to claim the win in the closing seconds, but Harrison saved Symmonds' shot with less than 15 seconds remaining.
The result marked the third draw in the 23-match all-time series between Florida and Mississippi State.
Coach Zimmerman Said "Really proud of the character the group showed to come back twice on the road and having a chance at the end to win it. This league continues to get better and every game comes down to moments. We will continue to learn from this as we move forward!" — Florida head coach Nick Zimmerman
Records
Florida: 4-3-2, 0-1-1 SEC
Mississippi State: 7-1-1, 1-0-1 SEC
Series
Florida leads 17-3-3
Next Up
Florida opens SEC home action Thursday, Sept. 24 with Texas (5-2-2, 0-1-1 SEC). The Longhorns tied No. 8 Tennessee 2-2 tonight in Austin, Texas.
vs Texas
Date: Thursday, Sept. 24
Time: 6 p.m. ET at Donald R. Dizney Stadium
Streaming Video: SEC Network +
Live Stats
Admission: Free
Promotions: Fall Wardrobe Addition: The first day of fall is Tuesday, Sept. 22. Be among the first 250 fans Friday to get a Gator scarf to prepare for the coming cooler temperatures.
Florida (4-3-2, 0-1-1 SEC) at Mississippi State (7-1-1, 0-1-1 SEC)
Stadium: MSU Soccer Field (1,064)
Weather: 95 degrees, 57% humidity, Winds SE at 4 mph, clear
| Goals by Period | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Florida | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Mississippi State | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Scoring Summary:
| No. | Time | Team | Goal Scorer | Assist |
| 1. | 10:44 | MSU | Hailey Johnson | Kara Harris |
| 2. | 59:09 | UF | Skye Barnes | Penalty kick |
| 3. | 63:21 | MSU | Eden Nicholson | Chiara Tappe |
| 4. | 77:01 | UF | Kyra Taylor | Norah Abbott |
Shots: Florida 15, MSU 10
Saves: Florida 3 (Jayden Emmanuel 3), MSU 4 (Jenny Harrison 4)
Cautions: 11:45: Chiara Tappe-MSU (yellow)
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
UF
MSU
Goals
2
2
Shots
15
10
Shots on Goal
6
5
Saves
3
4
Corners
8
6
Fouls
8
9
Scoring Plays
.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
Hailey Johnson (5)
Assisted By: Kara Harris
GOAL by MSU Johnson, Hailey Assist by Harris, Kara.
10:44
Skye Barnes
UF Skye Barnes PENALTY KICK GOAL.
59:09
Eden Nicholson (2)
Assisted By: Chiara Tappe
GOAL by MSU Nicholson, Eden Assist by Tappe, Chiara.
63:21
Kyra Taylor (5)
Assisted By: Norah Abbott
GOAL by UF Taylor, Kyra Assist by Abbott, Norah.
77:01
Game Leaders
fwd
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
def
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
mid
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
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