For Kayla Bala, tonight could have been the first time she played in James G. Pressly Stadium.
Bala, a freshman from Lakeland, went on an official visit to Tallahassee last year. If things went differently, she might be sporting garnet and gold when No. 7 Florida (5-2-0) hosts No. 5 FSU (6-1-0) at 7 p.m.
Maybe not.
"I didn't like (Tallahassee) as much as here, and I didn't like the colors that much," Bala said.
Bala is one of many players who chose between the Gators and the Seminoles as high school seniors.
"We're looking at the same players. …Florida gets some of the kids; we get some of the kids," FSU coach Mark Krikorian said.
For those players, the annual rivalry lets them prove they made the right choice, and Krikorian suggested that aspect fuels the fire.
Krikorian came to FSU in 2005, and the Seminoles have been the state's premier team since.
Florida State reached the College Cup three of the last four years, including a national championship game appearance in 2007. During that same stretch, coach Becky Burleigh's squad has not advanced past the round of 16.
However, the Gators hold the upper hand in head-to-head matchups. Florida seniors are 2-1 against the Seminoles with every match decided by one goal.
Burleigh said the FSU game is typically more physical, something she likes.
"It's a fun game to play. It's why people come to UF - to play rivalry games," Burleigh said.
Perhaps the Gator most anxious for kickoff is senior Angela Napolitano, who was tackled hard by an FSU player in the 85th minute and hyperextended her knee last year.
The injury kept Napolitano out of practice for a week.
"I'm ready to play a full game against them," she said.
Last year, a shutout from goalkeeper Katie Fraine and an early goal from Tahnai Annis gave Florida a 1-0 victory.
The year before, then-senior KeLeigh Hudson's 83rd-minute goal helped the Gators steal a 2-1 win.
In 2006, the Seminoles won at home 1-0 front of more than 4,000 fans - 3,000 above their stadium's listed capacity.
Like this year, FSU was the higher-ranked team in those games, but Napolitano said that never matters.
"When it's a rivalry like this, rankings go out the door. Those things don't matter because everyone plays their best game."
