Gators Soccer hosts No. 9 Arkansas

The Florida Gators soccer team hosts No. 9 Arkansas Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium. The Gators are 2-9 this season and 0-4 in the SEC conference. With a 6-game losing streak, the Gators have to bring momentum to beat this top 10 SEC team.

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Last Meeting

The last time the Gators and Razorbacks met was in the 2019 SEC Tournament semifinal. Although Florida has a 22-3 record against Arkansas, the Razorbacks won the last meeting in the tournament, 3-1.

Of the last six losses, Florida faced three ranked teams, and Arkansas will be the fourth. Arkansas has faced only two ranked teams so far, resulting in a tie and a victory. The Gators are coming home from a road game against South Carolina, where they lost 0-1. Arkansas, however, beat South Carolina earlier this season.

Gators Last Game

Florida’s last game was against South Carolina on Sept. 29. The game was played a day early due to Hurricane Ian. With the sudden schedule change, Florida adjusted but couldn’t execute a win, losing just by one goal.

The first half of the game had no goals, but Florida turned in eight shots. Julianne Leskauskas and Ashley Tutas each had a shot on goal that looked promising, but flew just above the goal. The shots couldn’t put Florida on the scoreboard. Florida also had eight fouls compared to South Carolina’s three. Florida made up for the fouls with seven saves by Alexa Goldberg.

Reunion

In this Gator and Razorback reunion, Florida is fighting for redemption from the 2019 loss and fighting for a momentous victory after six straight losses.

Team leaders Tessa Barton and Julianne Leskauskas will need to set the pace for the game, getting the first shot on goal. Alexa Goldberg will need to bring the hustle from the South Carolina game in order to slow the Razorbacks offense. The Gators have the skills and tools for a victory, they just need the execution.

The Gators will have a quick turnaround after Arkansas, looking to travel to Missouri on Sunday, Oct. 6.