The 3-4 Florida Gators will finish their stint of non-conference games against in-state rivals Miami Sunday evening. The Gators have a 7-2 all-time record against the Hurricanes.
Back to Winning Ways
Last time out, the Gators hosted Florida Gulf Coast. Florida won the clash 4-0 to break a four-game losing streak, and Kouri Peace and Vanessa Kara scored their first-ever goals for the Gators. For an in-depth recap of the match, click here.
The Miami Hurricanes
So far this season, Miami has a 3-1-1 overall record. In all three of their wins, the Hurricanes have scored four goals. Those wins came against UTRGV (4-0), Fairleigh Dickinson (4-1), and most recently, Stetson (4-0).
It was raining goals in the 305 tonight!! #ItsAllAboutTheU pic.twitter.com/HfaVATVSks
— Miami Hurricanes Soccer (@CanesFutbol) September 13, 2019
Miami’s loss came at home against Florida Atlantic (2-1), and the draw came at home against San Diego State (1-1).
Key Players
One of the Hurricanes who has impressed in their opening five matches is junior winger Tia Dupont. She’s featured in every game and has two goals and four assists to lead the team with eight points. Against Stetson, Dupont grabbed two assists.
Another winger that the Gators will need to mark tightly is senior No. 10 Kristina Fisher. While she had a fairly disappointing junior campaign, bagging one goal and two assists in 18 starts, Fisher already has two goals and two assists from five. Against Stetson, she got a goal and an assist.
https://twitter.com/CanesFutbol/status/1158736267133235200?s=20
Coach’s Thoughts
According to Coach Becky Burleigh, the Gators are coming off of a “much-needed” 4-0 win. Florida had lost its previous four games, albeit against three top-10 opponents in USC, UCLA and FSU.
Burleigh admitted that she wasn’t too familiar with the Hurricanes’ roster, as her Gators don’t face them very often. However, she’s made sure to do her homework ahead of the match.
“We expect a good one,” said Burleigh. “They play in the ACC, and they have a lot of experience.”
Match Details
The 10th edition of Florida-Miami will kick off at 6 p.m. at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium.