Let's try our hand at another home opener. After September 27th's match against Auburn was postponed, we have had October 11th circled on our calendars. Not only will Sunday serve as our first home game, but we will be facing cross division rival and #15 ranked Florida.
The Aggies kickoff against Florida on Sunday at 1PM live on the SEC Network. You can also follow the action on 97.3FM.
I consider Florida our chief rival within the SEC. Aside from Missouri (lol), we carry more history against the Gators than any other team. And what a competitive series it has been. The 16 games we have played against Florida have been evenly split. The Aggies have won 8 games and the Gators have won 8 games. There have been no ties, but 13 of the matches have been decided by a single goal. There is a natural ebb and flow within both conference divisions and both teams have seen some down years. But in general, Florida has served as the perineal power in the east while A&M has been tops in the west since joining the conference. This is a fun series.
Texas A&M dropped both meetings with Florida last season including a 1-2 loss at the SEC Tournament and a 1-3 loss in Gainesville during the regular season. This will be Florida's first trip to College Station since 2017.
Like A&M, Florida had a game postponed (their season opener) due to positive covid tests, so they too only have 2 games under their belts. Florida tied Georgia in the home-opener 1-1 and then defeated Alabama at home 2-1.
The Gators graduated their leading scorer from last year, but senior forward Deanne Rose (#21) returns as the Gators' most dangerous weapon up top. The Canadian National Team player scored the Gators' first goal of the year in 2019 on her way to 6 goals on the season. This season, she once again opened the scoring for Florida, netting a goal in the Georgia game. However, she was absent from the game against Alabama due to a hamstring injury. She has battled frustrating injuries in previous years. I could not find an update on her availability for this week.
Senior midfielder Parker Roberts (#22) missed Florida's opener, but she was back in the lineup last week. Roberts returns as a First Team All-Conference Midfielder. She scored 5 goals and added 5 assists last season. She went the full 90 last week, so the early absence may have been related to the previous positive covid tests.
Kouri Peace (#23) is a speedster to watch in Florida's midfield. She was on the SEC all-freshman team last year. She had a hand in both goals against Alabama last week, tallying two assists.
Senior Susi Espinoza returns as Florida's goalkeeper. Espinoza played every minute of the 2019 season, allowing 31 goals and registering 67 saves. Florida had 5 shutouts and a goal against average of 1.46. Through two games this season, Espinoza has allowed 2 goals, while totaling 6 saves.
Becky Burleigh is Florida soccer. She has coached at Florida since the team's inception in 1995. In that span, she has compiled a record of 425-129-37, 2 College Cup appearances, and a National Championship (1998). Florida has only missed the NCAA tournament 3 times in Burleigh's 25 seasons at the helm (including their inaugural season). She has also accounted for 14 SEC regular season championships and 12 SEC Tournament championships. Few coaches can match her accolades and consistency.
Florida will bring a completely different look than the persistent chaos that Arkansas plays with. It should be a more attractive game and a pace that better suits the Aggies. Florida is quick and their attack is stout, but if Rose is unavailable, they lose some of that firepower. I'm just pleased that this year's match is here and that we finally have soccer back in Aggieland.
The Aggies kickoff against Florida on Sunday at 1PM live on the SEC Network. You can also follow the action on 97.3FM.
I consider Florida our chief rival within the SEC. Aside from Missouri (lol), we carry more history against the Gators than any other team. And what a competitive series it has been. The 16 games we have played against Florida have been evenly split. The Aggies have won 8 games and the Gators have won 8 games. There have been no ties, but 13 of the matches have been decided by a single goal. There is a natural ebb and flow within both conference divisions and both teams have seen some down years. But in general, Florida has served as the perineal power in the east while A&M has been tops in the west since joining the conference. This is a fun series.
Texas A&M dropped both meetings with Florida last season including a 1-2 loss at the SEC Tournament and a 1-3 loss in Gainesville during the regular season. This will be Florida's first trip to College Station since 2017.
Like A&M, Florida had a game postponed (their season opener) due to positive covid tests, so they too only have 2 games under their belts. Florida tied Georgia in the home-opener 1-1 and then defeated Alabama at home 2-1.
The Gators graduated their leading scorer from last year, but senior forward Deanne Rose (#21) returns as the Gators' most dangerous weapon up top. The Canadian National Team player scored the Gators' first goal of the year in 2019 on her way to 6 goals on the season. This season, she once again opened the scoring for Florida, netting a goal in the Georgia game. However, she was absent from the game against Alabama due to a hamstring injury. She has battled frustrating injuries in previous years. I could not find an update on her availability for this week.
Senior midfielder Parker Roberts (#22) missed Florida's opener, but she was back in the lineup last week. Roberts returns as a First Team All-Conference Midfielder. She scored 5 goals and added 5 assists last season. She went the full 90 last week, so the early absence may have been related to the previous positive covid tests.
Kouri Peace (#23) is a speedster to watch in Florida's midfield. She was on the SEC all-freshman team last year. She had a hand in both goals against Alabama last week, tallying two assists.
Senior Susi Espinoza returns as Florida's goalkeeper. Espinoza played every minute of the 2019 season, allowing 31 goals and registering 67 saves. Florida had 5 shutouts and a goal against average of 1.46. Through two games this season, Espinoza has allowed 2 goals, while totaling 6 saves.
Becky Burleigh is Florida soccer. She has coached at Florida since the team's inception in 1995. In that span, she has compiled a record of 425-129-37, 2 College Cup appearances, and a National Championship (1998). Florida has only missed the NCAA tournament 3 times in Burleigh's 25 seasons at the helm (including their inaugural season). She has also accounted for 14 SEC regular season championships and 12 SEC Tournament championships. Few coaches can match her accolades and consistency.
Florida will bring a completely different look than the persistent chaos that Arkansas plays with. It should be a more attractive game and a pace that better suits the Aggies. Florida is quick and their attack is stout, but if Rose is unavailable, they lose some of that firepower. I'm just pleased that this year's match is here and that we finally have soccer back in Aggieland.