It was a game that Florida had been anticipating for eight months. The experienced, freshmen-less team could finally get its season underway.
Coach Becky Burleigh and Florida’s soccer team have struggled against USC in recent years. They came out victorious in the first three meetings between the two powerhouses but lost the next two by a combined score of 4-0.
UF picked up where it left off in 2018: The women leaving their opponents in the dust while the men still try and take that next step to catch up.
Florida’s 10th-ranked volleyball team will start its 2019 season with a pair of games against No. 25 Louisville on Friday night and Dayton on Saturday at the Cardinal Classic in Louisville, Kentucky. Here’s what to watch for:
Florida’s cross country team will be traveling to Jacksonville to compete in the University of North Florida Invitational on Friday at 8:30 a.m. to start its 2019 campaign. The team has competed in the event each year since 2016. Here are some things to know going in:
A bye week is long and tedious for college football fans. While Florida’s Week 0 battle with Miami on Aug. 24 was entertaining, it left a hole for the UF faithful this week while the rest of the country gets to watch their team play.
The dust has settled after Florida’s uninspiring 24-20 season-opening win over Miami. With the team back in Gainesville, the media had the chance to speak with players and coaches after Tuesday’s practice. Here are five of the most interesting quotes:
Florida’s soccer team is in the middle of a five-match road trip. This stretch features five top 25 opponents, three top 5 opponents and a contest against the No. 1 Florida State Seminoles.
You don’t have to look far to find critics of Florida football’s Week 0 performance.
Coach Dan Mullen went into Saturday’s matchup against the Miami Hurricanes hoping to win with a conservative mindset. He expected short passes and outside run plays to compensate for an inexperienced offensive line that was sure to have trouble with a Miami defensive line that started four upperclassmen.
Saturday afternoon may have just been an exhibition match, but it gave Gator Nation a real glimpse at what could be in store for its volleyball team this year.
Florida’s football team may have had a slightly shorter offseason than the majority of Division I football teams, but it still had 238 days since its last snap of meaningful football to prepare for Miami.
The contrast between Florida’s two lines on Saturday in Orlando was evident. No. 8 Florida came out on top against Miami, 24-20, with the help of its defensive line and its aggressiveness at the line of scrimmage, but the offensive line still remains a huge question mark.
It wasn’t the game Florida’s players hoped it would be.
The Gators won. That’s about the only thing that went right.
Darrielle King stood at the net with her knees bent and arms down by her sides. The middle blocker stared fiercely through the net toward her opponents as the ball crossed the net’s plane from her own baseline.
Junior forward Deanne Rose played in only 10 out of the 21 games for Florida’s soccer team in the 2018-19 campaign. She recorded two goals while playing 718 minutes last year due to national team commitments with Canada.
Florida fans won’t have to wait long for the competition to heat up when it comes to Gators volleyball.
Florida soccer coach Becky Burleigh still has a plethora of weapons at her disposal this season despite losing 11 seniors, including four that started in the 1-0 overtime loss against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament semifinals that ended Florida’s 2018-19 campaign.
Solutions by The State News
