Top 10 showdown looming for the Florida Gators soccer team

Special report on the Florida Gators soccer team

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The top two teams in each of the last three season's Southeastern Conference standings open 2015 league play Thursday at Florida plays host to Texas A&M Thursday. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium<http://www.gatorzone.com/facilities/drdizney>. Admission is free for all Gator soccer regular-season matches.

History of Florida and Texas A&M in the SEC
The two teams met once in 2014, with the Gators taking a 1-0 win in College Station off a Savannah Jordan<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=102> shot late in the 84th minute. The Aggies topped the SEC with a 2014 league record of 9-1-1 while the Gators were second at 9-2.

The two teams shared the 2013 SEC title with identical league records (9-2) and Florida won the 2012 SEC title (11-2) while TAMU was second (10-2-1). Texas A&M joined the SEC for the 2012 season.

Match Promotions

*         The first 500 fans Thursday get a free Florida Soccer Rally Towel!

*         Rowdy Reptiles - be sure to check in to get points toward great prizes & rewards all year long!

A complete list of promotions can be found at GatorZone.com<http://www.gatorzone.com/schedule/detail_promotions.php?d=2015-9-10>.

Here's how to follow the Gators
Can't be at Thursday's SEC opener at Dizney Stadium? Tune into the debut of Thursday Night Soccer on SEC Network with Gator Great and former U.S. National Team member Heather Mitts<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?bio=mitts.html&year=1999> and Jenn Hildreth calling the action.

Watch the stream of the TAMU at UF match on SEC Network +<http://es.pn/1X6o1D7>, beginning at 7 p.m.

Hear Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington's call Thursday at ESPN Gainesville 850AM/95.3FM or on GatorZone.com.

Two Places to Call Home
During the course of the Gators' eight home-match schedule, the team will play at two venues - James G. Pressly Stadium<http://www.gatorzone.com/facilities/?venue=percy&sport=socce> and Dizney Stadium. Florida's SEC opener and regular-season finale will be played at Dizney Stadium in 2015. The Oct. 25 match versus Arkansas will also be played at Dizney Stadium.

Playing at Dizney Stadium during the regular season gives Florida venue options if the Gators are fortunate to be in position to host post-season action. A team needs to play at least two matches at a venue to have that site eligible for post-season play.

Gators' in Last Week's Action:
Florida went to overtime last Friday to claim the win in its only match of the weekend. Oklahoma State scored in the third minute but the first goals of the season from Brooke Sharp<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=100> and Liz Slattery<http://www.gatorzone.com/soccer/bios.php?year=2015&player_id=99> gave the Gators a 2-1 halftime lead at the James G. Pressly Stadium. The Cowgirls tied the match in the 66th minute, pushing Florida to OT for the second time in 2015. Sharp jumped on a deflected ball loose in the box to score the winner off a low, right-footed shot with just 19 second remaining in the first OT to give UF the 3-2 win. It was Sharp's first double goal match of her collegiate career and also her first golden goal.

Snaps for Sharp
After her double-goal match last Friday, Sharp shared the latest SEC Offensive Player of the Week<http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=31178> with Kentucky's Katy Keen. It is her first SEC Offensive Player of the Week honor of her career.

About TAMU:
Texas A&M will be playing its second match in the Sunshine State in a seven-day span, as the Aggies lost 3-1 Friday at No. 5 Florida State. That match featuring No. 3 TAMU at No. 5 Florida State was last weekend's top meeting between ranked teams and Thursday's match at Florida is TAMU's second top-10 match-up in seven days.

The Aggies top scorer this season is sophomore Haley Pounds with five goals and four assists to share the SEC lead at 14 points. She scored TAMU's final three goals Sunday in the Aggie's 4-1 win over Abilene Christian.

TAMU advanced to the NCAA College Cup semifinal for the first time in the program's history in 2014, falling 3-1 to eventual NCAA runner-up Virginia. G Guerrieri is in his 23rd season as the head of the Aggie program.

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.
Florida - The Gators are picked to win the 2015 Southeastern Conference title.
Texas A&M - The Aggies are picked to finish second in the SEC in 2015.

Rankings:
Florida is ranked No. 10 on the September 8 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll<http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4198/NCAADivisionI/women/Poll3> and Texas A&M is No. 6.


Thursday's Match Info:

No. 10 Florida (4-1, 0-0 SEC) versus No. 6 Texas A&M (5-1, 0-0 SEC)

Date & Time: Sept. 10 @ 7 p.m.
Site: Donald R. Dizney Stadium<http://www.gatorzone.com/facilities/drdizney> (1,500)
The Coaches: Becky Burleigh, 21st season @ UF (440-118-36/ 26th season overall - 358-95-30/UF), G Guerrieri, 399-122-27/24th season overall - 383-110-27/23rd season at TAMU

Television: live on SEC Network (Gainesville/Ocala cable 68 or 1068)

Radio: ESPN Gainesville 850AM/95.3FM

Streaming video: available on SEC Network +<http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2626236/College-Soccer-Texas-A&M-vs-Florida-(W-Soccer)>

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

Promotions: Florida Rally Towel - the first 500 fans get a free Florida Soccer Rally Towel; Rowdy Reptiles Check-in - Rowdy Reptiles can check in to get points toward great prizes & rewards all year long.

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.