No. 6 Florida Soccer Looks for SEC Title Thursday at Georgia
Tuesday, October 27, 2015 | Soccer
GAINESVILLE, Florida – The University of Florida soccer team finishes 2015 regular season action at Georgia on Thursday, Oct. 29. Match time is 7 p.m. at the UGA Soccer Stadium.
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| No. 6 Florida (13-3-1, 7-2-1 SEC) at Georgia (5-10-1, 4-6 SEC) Date & Time: Oct. 29 @ 7 p.m. ET
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| @UFGatorSoccer (Becky Burleigh) |
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Both teams are looking for a win to keep Southeastern Conference hopes alive. A win would give the Gators their 14th league title. A Georgia win would keep the Bulldogs above the 10-team cutoff for the SEC Tournament.
SEC Standing Close Heading into Regular-Season Finale
The SEC standings are extremely tight, with two teams (Florida, Missouri) leading with identical 7-2-1 league records for 22 points and one team (Mississippi) is right behind with a 7-3 record for 21 points.
Through 10 league matches played, the number of teams that could claim the SEC title was two in 2014 (Texas A&M – 25 points; Florida – 24 points) and three in 2013 (Florida & Texas A&M – 24 points; South Carolina – 22 points). The SEC schedule consisted of 13 league matches in 2012 and moved to an 11-match slate in 2013.
Here's how to follow the Gators
Can't be in Athens for Thursday's match? Here's how to follow the action:
· Watch the match live on SEC Network beginning at 7 p.m. Gator Great and past U.S. National Team member Heather Mitts and Jenn Hildreth will call the action
· Follow the stream of the Florida-UGA match on WatchESPN
· Hear Adam Schick's call of Thursday's match on ESPN 95.3FM/850AM or at GatorZone.com.
Last season's meeting between Florida and Georgia:
When these two teams met for Florida's 2014 SEC home opener, the Gators took a 2-1 win over then No. 22 Georgia. The Gators scored first when Brooke Sharp redirected a Lauren Silver cross to score in the 24th minute. Georgia tied the match just over four minutes later off the goal from Marion Crowder. A second-half goal started with a long ball from Claire Falknor. Savannah Jordan ran it down to score Florida's second goal.
Florida leads the all-time series 26-2-1. Half of the last 10 matches between these two teams were decided by a single goal, including two overtime decisions.
Gators in Last Week's SEC Action:
The two teams come into Thursday's match off a pair of wins in last week's league action. Florida took a key 2-1 double overtime win versus No. 17 South Carolina Thursday at the James G. Pressly Stadium. The Gamecocks scored first in the sixth minute off a goal from Savannah McCaskill. Savannah Jordan tied the match in the 21st minute off the assist from Christen Westphal. That finished the scoring for nearly the next hour. With time evaporating in the second overtime, Liz Slattery picked up the ball that popped free in USC box, scoring on a chip at the far post upper slot. That goal at 109:59 is the latest ever for Florida in the two 10-minute golden goal format.
Florida claimed its third shutout of the season with a 4-0 decision over Arkansas on Sunday. After a scoreless opening half, the Gators scored just 57 seconds into the second half off a Brooke Sharp goal. Jordan scored the second and final goals. The third goal started when goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese threw a long ball out to fellow freshman Briana Solis to start a counterattack. Solis took the ball down the field to score her first collegiate goal from eight yards.
Three Gators are among SEC offensive leaders through Oct. 25 play. Jordan leads the league in goals (17) and points (39) while Westphal leads in assists (10). Sharp also checks in tied for sixth for goals (10) and seventh in points (23). Jordan is in the nation's top four for goals and points. Westphal shares No. 7 nationally with her 10 assists.
About the UGA Bulldogs:
Georgia comes into Thursday's match after winning two road matches – 3-1 at Vanderbilt and 1-0 at No. 16 Auburn. The Bulldogs also upset another ranked team earlier this season, handing then No. 4 Texas A&M a 2-1 loss on Sept. 27. Over the last seven matches, Georgia is 4-3, with four of the matches decided by a single goal. Sophomore Marion Crowder leads UGA with four goals and eight points. Billy Lesesne is in his first season as head of the Bulldog program.
Two Reigning SEC Player of Week on Pitch Thursday.
Two of the three players receiving SEC Player of the Week honors on Monday – Florida's Jordan and Georgia goalkeeper Louise Hogrell – will be on the field Thursday.
Team Records:
Florida: 13-3-1, 7-2-1 SEC – currently tied for first in SEC standings
UGA: 5-10-1, 4-6 SEC – currently tied for eighth in SEC standings
Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 6 on the October 27 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.
