Gator Country

The Florida Gators have the top seed in the upcoming SEC Women's Soccer Tournament./Gator Country file photo by Tim Casey

Southeastern Conference women’s soccer champion Florida earned the top seed for the 2009 Southeastern Conference Soccer Tournament that begins Wednesday at the Orange Beach SportsPlex in Orange Beach, Ala.

Coach Becky Burleigh’s Gators, who captured their fourth straight SEC title and 10th in 15 years with their 3-0 victory Friday over South Carolina, will take a 14-4-2 overall record (8-1-2 SEC) into its contest against No. 8 seed (and defending tournament champion) Tennessee (8-8-3, 4-5-2 SEC). That game will be the third on opening day and will be played at 6 p.m.

The SEC tournament features three teams that appear in the Oct. 26 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Top 25 poll: No. 10 Florida, No. 13 South Carolina and No. 16 Louisiana State. Georgia appears in the No. 22 spot on the Oct. 26 SoccerTimes.com poll. The four ranked teams is the most in the history of the SEC Tournament.

Florida and Tennessee met on Oct. 16 in Knoxville and their match ended in a 2-2 double-overtime tie. Holly King and Tahnai Annis had the goals for Florida, while Chelsea Hatcher and Julie Edwards scored for Tennessee. Mick Imgram of Tennessee led the SEC with 12 goals this season.

As a result of the landmark agreement with ESPN and the partnership with XOS Digital, for the first time in SEC history all matches from the 2009 SEC Soccer Tournament will be available to fans live via either television or streaming on SECsports.com. The championship match on Nov. 8 will be televised on ESPNU at 3 p.m.

SEC WOMEN’S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
At Orange Beach (Ala.) Soccer Complex
All times are Eastern Standard
Wednesday, Nov. 4 quarterfinals
Match 1: No. 2 Louisiana State (12-4-3, 8-2-1 SEC) vs. No. 7 Vanderbilt (11-7-1, 5-6 SEC), 1 p.m.
Match 2: No. 3 Mississippi (13-4-2, 7-2-2 SEC) vs. No. 6 Auburn (9-7-3, 6-5 SEC), 3:30 p.m.
Match 3: No. 1 Florida (14-4-2, 8-1-2 SEC) vs. No. 8 Tennessee (8-8-3, 4-5-2 SEC), 6 p.m.
Match 4: No. 4 South Carolina (15-3-1, 7-3-1 SEC) vs. No. 5 Georgia (14-4-1, 7-4 SEC), 8:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 6 semifinals
Match 5: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner, 6 p.m.
Match 6: Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 8 championship
Match 7: Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner, 3 p.m. (ESPNU)

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