Florida Gators
Louisiana State
Florida Opens October at Home Against LSU
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | Soccer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida soccer (5-3-3, 1-1-2 SEC) opens its October schedule Friday with a home match against LSU.
Friday, Oct. 2 versus LSU (2-8-2, 0-3-1 SEC)
Time/Site: 6 p.m. at Donald R. Dizney Stadium
Streaming Video: SEC Network+ Announcers: Ryan Urquhart and Matthew Stubbington
Audio via Gators+ Announcers: Nevada Cullen and Lance Williams
Live Stats
Admission: Free
Promotions: Think Pink at The Diz: Join the Gators as they support the fight against cancer during the annual Kick for a Cure match. The first 250 fans receive a pink Kick Cancer handheld flag. Grab yours and show your support!
Admission is free for all Gator soccer regular-season home matches. 2026 Florida Soccer Promotions
Did You Know?
Two Gators — freshman Lael Hill and sophomore Sophia Sindelar — scored their first goals of 2026 in Sunday's 5-2 win at Texas A&M, bringing Florida's number of goal scorers this season to 13.
That is Florida's highest total of different goal scorers since the 2019 and 2020-21 seasons. It also matches the 2026 Southeastern Conference high, as Arkansas and Oklahoma each have 13 different goal scorers this season.
Florida's Last Match
Four Gators scored in a four-goal opening half and Kyra Taylor added her second of the afternoon early in the second as Florida raced past Texas A&M 5-2 Sunday at Ellis Field.
The five goals were Florida's most in a road match this season and gave the Gators their first Southeastern Conference victory after a pair of league draws.
Florida's five goals also matched the high in SEC play this season. Vanderbilt defeated Texas A&M 5-0 in Nashville on Sept. 18.
Lael Hill opened the scoring in the 13th minute. Zoe Main's corner kick found Kelsey Smith, who lofted a ball toward the far post. Hill headed it in for her first collegiate goal.
Kyra Taylor pushed the lead to 2-0 in the 22nd minute. The play started just above Florida's penalty area when Adia Symmonds sent the ball forward to Zoe Main. Main played Taylor into the center of the Aggies' half, where Taylor beat a defender to create a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. She took a touch before sending a 12-yard, left-footed shot into the far corner.
Lena Bailey assisted on Florida's final two goals of the opening half.
Bailey played the ball to Sophia Sindelar near the top of the box, and Sindelar used a touch to beat her defender before sending a right-footed shot off the inside of the post at 34:31. It was Sindelar's first goal of the season and fourth of her career.
Less than two minutes later, Norah Abbott sent the ball across the top of the box to Bailey. Bailey drove to the end line and sent a cross across the face of goal, where Katie Johnston beat her marker at the far post for her third goal of the season.
Florida carried the scoring into the second half.
Taylor completed her third brace of the season in the 54th minute. Main's corner kick bounced around the box before Carlota Martins found Taylor near the penalty spot. Taylor finished with her left foot for Florida's fifth goal.
Texas A&M scored the final two goals. Trinity Buchanan converted a penalty kick in the 63rd minute, and Morgan Landry scored in the 71st minute off an assist from Norah Bell.
"Really proud of the group," Florida Coach Nick Zimmerman said. "We spoke to the team about taking games and, through the performance, earning the result. To score the goals we did today in multidimensional ways is something we talk about daily. We have created a lot of chances over the last two weeks, and we felt a game like this was coming. To win on the road in the SEC isn't easy, especially on Sundays. We will rest, recover, learn and go again! Go Gators!"
About Friday's Opponent
LSU
LSU posted a 15-6-4 record in 2025 and tied for fifth in the Southeastern Conference with a 5-2-3 league mark. The Tigers and Vanderbilt played to a 1-1 draw in the SEC Tournament final, with the Commodores winning the penalty shootout 8-7 to claim the title. The teams met again in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in Nashville, where Vanderbilt earned a 1-0 win.
The Tigers have faced five ranked opponents in 2026, falling 2-0 to then-No. 18 Wake Forest and No. 22 Baylor and dropping 3-1 decisions to No. 8 Tennessee, No. 16 South Carolina and No. 21 Oklahoma. In the Sept. 29 NCAA toughest-schedules rankings, LSU is the highest-ranked SEC team at No. 7.
Senior forward Ava Galligan, a member of the 2026 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, leads LSU with four goals and nine points. Senior Audur Scheving has started all but one match in goal for the Tigers and owns a 1.87 goals-against average.
Sophomore forward Sariyah Bailey rejoined the Tigers for their final two September matches after missing seven matches while representing Canada at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland. She appeared in each of Canada's five matches, starting four. Canada was eliminated by Korea DPR 2-0 in the quarterfinals Sept. 20.
