Florida Gators soccer travels to Miami

Special report on Florida Gators soccer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida finishes a season-opening three-match road stretch Thursday at Miami. Match time is set for 7 p.m. ET in at Cobb Stadium.

This is ninth meeting between the two teams and the seventh since 2007. Florida won 3-0 when the two teams met in Gainesville for the 2014 season opener.

Not in Coral Gables? Here's how to follow the Gators
Thursday's match is the first of 14 Gator matches which can be found on WatchESPNhttp://es.pn/1LfeXFs>.

Adam Schick's call of Thursday's match can be heard at ESPN Gainesville 850AM/95.3FM or on GatorZone.com.

South Florida Gators:
The hometowns for seven Florida freshmen are within 80 miles of Coral Gables. The closest are Florida's pair from Pembroke Pines (Melanie Monteagudo<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=115> and Rachelle Smith<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=127>), which is just 26 miles from the University of Miami.

Last Meeting Between Florida-UCF:
In the 2014 meeting between the two teams in Gainesville, Florida got a pair of goals from senior Jillian Graffhttp://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2014&player_id=81> as the Gators posted a 3-0 win over Miami. Savannah Jordan<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=102> pushed the lead to 3-0 when she fought off her defender to head in a five yard shot in the 69th minute.

The Gators in Season Opening Action:
The Gators lost 1-0 in overtime at Ohio State Sunday. It was the first meeting between the two teams. Florida opened the 2015 season Friday with a 2-0 win at preseason No. 17 Central Florida. The first shot of Mayra Pelayo's<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=123> career scored at the upper far slot from 22 yards. In the second half, Savannah Jordan headed in a Pamela Begič<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=106http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=106> cross to the near post. The clean sheet was the first complete shutout for goalkeeper redshirt junior Valerie Tysinger<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=95>.

About Miami:
Weather cancelled Miami's season opener at the College of Charleston on Aug. 21. The Hurricanes lost 1-0 to Texas Sunday at the Charleston Nike Classic.

The Hurricanes return nine starters from the 2014 team that finished 4-13-1 overall, 2-7-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Hurricanes' top six players in points from the 2014 season are all back this year, including co-captains Gianna Dal Pozzo<http://www.hurricanesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=208688461&DB_OEM_ID=28700>, Erin McGovern<http://www.hurricanesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=205554249&DB_OEM_ID=28700> and Natalie Moik<http://www.hurricanesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=209578601&DB_OEM_ID=28700>. Mary-Frances Monroe is in her third season as UM's head coach.

Preseason Conference Votes:
Florida was second in the 2014 Southeastern Conference final standings with a 9-2 record. Texas A&M won the league title with a 9-1-1 record. Miami was 12th in the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference standings with its 2-7-1 league record.
Florida - The Gators are picked to win the 2015 Southeastern Conference title.
Miami - The Hurricanes are picked to finish 12th in the ACC. Florida State is the pick to repeat as ACC champs in 2015.

Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 14 on the August 25 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll<http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4180/NCAADivisionI/women/Poll1>.

Thursday's Match Info:

No. 14 Florida (1-1, 0-0 SEC) at Miami (0-1, 0-0 ACC)

Date & Time: Aug. 27 @ 7 p.m.

Site: Cobb Stadium<http://www.hurricanesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205561459> (500)
The Coaches: Becky Burleigh, 21st season @ UF (437-118-36/ 26th season overall - 355-95-30/UF), Mary-Frances Monroe, 13-22-2/third season at UM - 59-100-13 /10th season overall

Television: none

Radio: ESPN Gainesville 850AM/95.3FM

Streaming video: available on ESPN3<http://es.pn/1LfeXFs>

Internet: live stats and audio for UF-UM match available on GatorZone.com<http://gatorzone.cstv.com/gametracker/launch/gt_wsoccer.html?event=1434543&school=fla&sport=wsoccer&camefrom=&startschool=&>

Admission: Free admission.
Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.