GAINESVILLE, Fla. -Florida and Georgia soccer played to a scoreless tie Sunday evening in front of 1,054 at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
These two teams also played to a 0-0 tie in the 2023 meeting in Athens, Ga. It was the third scoreless tie between these league rivals, as the first-ever meeting in 1995 was a 0-0 double overtime tie.
Sunday’s Action:
Georgia is Florida’s most frequent opponent in the program’s 30 seasons. There have been many tight meetings, as tonight’s match was the 19th in the 40 all-time meetings that ended in a tie (5) or was decided by a single goal (14).
Florida best chances of its 14 shots included a right-footed shot by Njeri Butts with 18:30 remaining that was tipped over the crossbar by Georgia goalkeeper Jordan Brown for a Gator corner kick. Then just two minutes later, freshman Vera Blom picked up the deflection off her left-footed shot in the box to use her right foot for a shot that kicked off the far post. Lena Bailey tracked down the ball in the corner and sent it to Madison Jones. The centering ball sent by Jones was headed by sophomore Amelia Malkin, but was wide.
“We emptied our tank and created some really good chances,” Florida Head Coach Samantha Bohon said. “Credit to Georgia’s keeper, because she was outstanding. I thought we had two chances that we normally would have scored, and she was just world class today. So really a credit to her.”
Florida made several plays – whether an Alexa Goldberg save off a deflection or the backline or midfield winning the ball when Georgia was looking dangerous – that helped keep the Bulldogs from scoring for just the third time this season and the first of league play.
The energy of Florida’s Senior Day fueled the Gators Sunday.
“Our history against Georgia – those games have really been brutal,” said senior defender Madison Young. “This game, we had control, we had so much energy, so much effort. Even when we were on our heels, there’s was so much grit, so much blue collar. I thought we did really well.”
Records:
Florida: 4-4-6, 1-3-2 SEC
Georgia: 6-4-5, 2-2-3 SEC. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll<https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-di-women/>.
Series Record:
Florida leads 30-5-4
Next Up:
Florida continues this SEC homestand Friday when Vanderbilt (6-2-6, 1-2-4 SEC) comes to Dizney Stadium. This evening, Vanderbilt and Kentucky tied 1-1 in Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt (6-2-6, 1-2-4 SEC)
Date: Friday, Oct. 18
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Site: Donald R. Dizney Stadium<https://floridagators.com/sports/2020/4/4/donald-r-dizney-stadium.aspx> (1,500)
TV: SEC Network<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/624ec41a-f01c-4e4c-afba-d2fabb5f0cda> +with Kyle Crooks and Matthew Stubbington calling the action
Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM/850 AM<https://floridagators.com/watch/?Live=5471> with Kyle Crooks and Matthew Stubbington calling the action
StatBroadcast<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=532027>
Admission: Free
Promotions: Welcome back familiar faces to The Diz for Gators Alumni Weekend. Arrive early, as Gators will honor UF’s first soccer coach, Becky Burleigh, in a special pre-match ceremony as she gets inducted into UF Athletics Hall of Fame later that evening.
RV Georgia (6-4-5, 2-2-3 SEC) vs Florida (4-4-6, 1-3-2 SEC)
Stadium: Donald R. Dizney Stadium (1,054)
Weather: 74 degrees, winds NW at 5 mph
Goals by Period
1
2
Total
Georgia
0
0
0
Florida
0
0
0
Scoring Summary:
No.
Time
Team
Goal Scorer
Assist
No goals
Shots: Georgia 9, Florida 14
Saves: Georgia 6 (Jordan Brown 6), Florida 5 (Alexa Goldberg 5)
Offsides: UGA 3, UF 0
Cautions: none
