It's time for Southeastern Conference play! No. 23 Florida opens league action Thursday at No. T19 South Carolina.
No. 23 Florida Opens SEC Play Thursday at No. T19 South Carolina
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 | Soccer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 23 Florida soccer (4-2-1, 0-0-0 SEC) opens Southeastern Conference action with two consecutive road matches, beginning Thursday evening at No. T19 South Carolina.
SEC action begins this week, with each program playing one match Thursday or Friday
Thursday, Sept. 10 at No. T19 South Carolina
Time/Site: 7 p.m. at Eugene E. Stone III Stadium
Streaming Video: SEC Network + Announcers: Brad Muller and Zander Collins
Live Stats
Admission: $11 - adults / $6 - youth
The Gators are 19-8-4 all-time in SEC openers. This is the first time since 2002 that the programs open SEC play against each other.
About Thursday's SEC Opener:
The Sept. 8 United Soccer Coaches Poll includes six SEC teams. Thursday's match between Florida and South Carolina is the only SEC opener featuring two ranked teams.
Florida, South Carolina, LSU and Alabama are the only SEC teams that faced two top-25 opponents during nonconference play, and the Gators are the only SEC team that faced two top-five opponents. Alabama won both of its matches, defeating then-No. 21 Memphis 2-1 on the road and then-No. 15 TCU 3-2 at home. LSU lost 2-0 at then-No. 18 Wake Forest and 2-0 against No. 22 Baylor. Florida and South Carolina each split their two matches against ranked nonconference opponents. The Gators defeated then-No. T3 Florida State 3-1 and lost to then-No. 5 Wake Forest 2-1. South Carolina lost 3-0 at then-No. 18 Wake Forest and defeated then-No. 24 Clemson 1-0.
Thursday marks the 40th all-time meeting between Florida and South Carolina and the 13th in which both teams enter ranked in the top 25. It is the first such matchup since the teams played to a 1-1, double-overtime draw in Florida's 2019 regular-season home finale.
Last Match Out:
Then No. 21 Florida soccer created chances, answered a first-half deficit and became the first team to score against No. 5 Wake Forest this season, but an 80th-minute penalty kick allowed the Demon Deacons to escape Donald R. Dizney Stadium with a 2-1 win Sunday.
Sophomore Tatum Borman scored Florida's equalizer in the 58th minute, netting her first goal of the season before a crowd of 1,098 in the Gators' nonconference finale.
Wake Forest scored on its first corner-kick opportunity. Riley Cross sent the ball into the penalty area, where it deflected off a Florida defender toward the top of the box. Sierra Sythe settled the ball before sending a right-footed shot into the far corner.
Borman made the most of her second shot of the match to pull the Gators level in the 58th minute.
Borman's first attempt, taken in the 31st minute, struck the crossbar. When a Wake Forest deflection off a deep cross from Kelsey Smith reached Borman, she sent a right-footed shot from the penalty arc toward the goal. WFU goalkeeper Valentina Amaral got a touch on the shot but could not keep it out.
The goal was Borman's first of the season and knocked Wake Forest from the list of five teams that entered Sunday's action without having conceded a goal.
The Demon Deacons were awarded a penalty kick in the 80th minute after Henley Tippins was fouled in the box. Sythe converted the penalty to give Wake Forest the final 2-1 advantage.
About No. T19 South Carolina (6-1-0, 0-0-0 SEC)
South Carolina posted a 10-5-5 record in 2025 and finished seventh in the Southeastern Conference with a 4-2-4 league mark. The Gamecocks were among nine SEC teams to advance to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, losing 2-1 at Wake Forest in the first round. South Carolina is picked sixth in the 2026 SEC preseason coaches poll.
The Gamecocks split their two matches against opponents ranked at the time, losing 3-0 at then-No. 18 Wake Forest and defeating then-No. 24 Clemson 1-0. South Carolina closed nonconference action Sunday with a 6-1 home win over College of Charleston, with each of the goals coming from a different Gamecock.
Senior forward Sydney Middaugh was named to the 2026 Hermann Trophy Watch List on Aug. 26. She transferred to South Carolina this season after playing three seasons at Saint Mary's College. She leads the Gamecocks this season with three goals and eight points.
SEC action begins this week, with each program playing one match Thursday or Friday
Thursday, Sept. 10 at No. T19 South Carolina
Time/Site: 7 p.m. at Eugene E. Stone III Stadium
Streaming Video: SEC Network + Announcers: Brad Muller and Zander Collins
Live Stats
Admission: $11 - adults / $6 - youth
The Gators are 19-8-4 all-time in SEC openers. This is the first time since 2002 that the programs open SEC play against each other.
About Thursday's SEC Opener:
The Sept. 8 United Soccer Coaches Poll includes six SEC teams. Thursday's match between Florida and South Carolina is the only SEC opener featuring two ranked teams.
Florida, South Carolina, LSU and Alabama are the only SEC teams that faced two top-25 opponents during nonconference play, and the Gators are the only SEC team that faced two top-five opponents. Alabama won both of its matches, defeating then-No. 21 Memphis 2-1 on the road and then-No. 15 TCU 3-2 at home. LSU lost 2-0 at then-No. 18 Wake Forest and 2-0 against No. 22 Baylor. Florida and South Carolina each split their two matches against ranked nonconference opponents. The Gators defeated then-No. T3 Florida State 3-1 and lost to then-No. 5 Wake Forest 2-1. South Carolina lost 3-0 at then-No. 18 Wake Forest and defeated then-No. 24 Clemson 1-0.
Thursday marks the 40th all-time meeting between Florida and South Carolina and the 13th in which both teams enter ranked in the top 25. It is the first such matchup since the teams played to a 1-1, double-overtime draw in Florida's 2019 regular-season home finale.
Last Match Out:
Then No. 21 Florida soccer created chances, answered a first-half deficit and became the first team to score against No. 5 Wake Forest this season, but an 80th-minute penalty kick allowed the Demon Deacons to escape Donald R. Dizney Stadium with a 2-1 win Sunday.
Sophomore Tatum Borman scored Florida's equalizer in the 58th minute, netting her first goal of the season before a crowd of 1,098 in the Gators' nonconference finale.
Wake Forest scored on its first corner-kick opportunity. Riley Cross sent the ball into the penalty area, where it deflected off a Florida defender toward the top of the box. Sierra Sythe settled the ball before sending a right-footed shot into the far corner.
Borman made the most of her second shot of the match to pull the Gators level in the 58th minute.
Borman's first attempt, taken in the 31st minute, struck the crossbar. When a Wake Forest deflection off a deep cross from Kelsey Smith reached Borman, she sent a right-footed shot from the penalty arc toward the goal. WFU goalkeeper Valentina Amaral got a touch on the shot but could not keep it out.
The goal was Borman's first of the season and knocked Wake Forest from the list of five teams that entered Sunday's action without having conceded a goal.
The Demon Deacons were awarded a penalty kick in the 80th minute after Henley Tippins was fouled in the box. Sythe converted the penalty to give Wake Forest the final 2-1 advantage.
About No. T19 South Carolina (6-1-0, 0-0-0 SEC)
South Carolina posted a 10-5-5 record in 2025 and finished seventh in the Southeastern Conference with a 4-2-4 league mark. The Gamecocks were among nine SEC teams to advance to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, losing 2-1 at Wake Forest in the first round. South Carolina is picked sixth in the 2026 SEC preseason coaches poll.
The Gamecocks split their two matches against opponents ranked at the time, losing 3-0 at then-No. 18 Wake Forest and defeating then-No. 24 Clemson 1-0. South Carolina closed nonconference action Sunday with a 6-1 home win over College of Charleston, with each of the goals coming from a different Gamecock.
Senior forward Sydney Middaugh was named to the 2026 Hermann Trophy Watch List on Aug. 26. She transferred to South Carolina this season after playing three seasons at Saint Mary's College. She leads the Gamecocks this season with three goals and eight points.
Players Mentioned
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