Gator Country

Florida junior Erika Tymrak will look to extend the Gators' win streak to two against Missouri on Friday. / Gator Country file photo by Rob Foldy

The Florida soccer team (5-2) will start its last weekend of non-conference play at Missouri (7-1) at 7:30 p.m., Friday at Audrey J. Walton Complex in Columbia, Mo., in a contest of top-25 teams as the Gators are tied for No. 9 in the country, while the Tigers are No.24.

Last weekend, Florida split in its first full weekend of home action. On Friday, the Gators twice tied the match, but fell 3-2 to then No. 5 Florida State in front of a crowd of 4,671 – the third largest in the program’s history and the nation’s second highest of 2011.

The Gators allowed an early goal in the first four minutes, but junior Erika Tymrak knotted the match with a 10-yard shot with just 22 second remaining in the half.

Junior Holly King scored her first goal of the season off the scrum following a corner kick in the 68th minute. The last four meetings between UF and FSU have gone to the visiting team.

On Sunday, five different Gators scored as Florida turned in a 5-0 win over Florida Gulf Coast University in the first meeting between the two teams.

The Gators got goals from Tessa Andujar, Tymrak, Lauren Silver, Caroline Triglia and Lindsay Thompson. Annie Speese had an assist on the final three goals, making her the first Gator freshman since Karyn Hall in 1998 to have three assists in a match.

Florida will be the fourth top-20 team Missouri has met this season. The Tigers registered every possible result against its previous top-20 opponents, defeating then No. 7 Ohio State (1-0), falling 2-1 at then No. 20 San Diego (2-1) and tying then No. 19 Illinois (1-1 2OT) in the season opener.

Tiger sophomore Dominique Richardson is a preseason All-Big 12 selection at defender. Freshman goalkeeper McKenzie Sauerwein appears on the most recent Soccer America National Team of the Week after a career-high seven saves against Arizona and five saves against Arizona State, as the Tigers won last weekend’s Sun Devil Desert Classic with a pair of 1-0 wins. Abi Raymer (2 goals, 3 assists) and Alyssa Diggs (3 goals, 1 assists) share the Tiger points lead at seven each.

Missouri is the top team in the Receiving Votes category on the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll.

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