Gators and Seminoles Looking for a Victory After Dry Run

The Gators and No. 6 Seminoles are looking for a victory after both sides lost two games each against No. 2 UCLA and No. 4 Southern California. Florida State will host Florida at the Seminole Soccer Complex on Friday at 6 p.m.

Historic Game Ahead

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Dating back to 1995, the Gators and Seminoles have faced one another in 25 meetings. Florida edges FSU in all-time victories by just one, 13 to 12, but it could all change if Florida State wins its next match. In other words, the Seminoles will tie the series record for the first time in history.

The Seminoles have been the most dominant out of the two in the past few years. In 2017, FSU beat the Gators at the Donald R. Dizney Stadium 2-0. The following year, the Seminoles claimed a 1-0 victory via a Kristen McFarland goal and went on to win the NCAA national championship.

Melancholy California Trip

Both Florida teams suffered in their trips to the West Coast last week.

The Gators fell to then fifth ranked Southern California 3-1 and later lost to then fourth ranked UCLA 2-0. Similarly, the Seminoles took two loses against UCLA and USC.

Both soccer programs will look for their third win of the season as they both stand with a 2-2-0 record.

How Are the Gators Looking?

Deanne Rose suffered a hamstring injury in the game against Southern California on Thursday, Aug. 29. The Canadian international sat out on Sunday’s 2-0 loss to UCLA. Rose trained with the team during the week, but it is unknown if she will play against FSU.

On the other hand, the Gators English duo, Georgia Eaton-Collins and Ava Kuyken, are back from their international calls and available to play. Gators head coach, Becky Burleigh, is happy to have these two back and trusts her team’s depth.

Senior, Alex Stubblebine, scored the Gators’ lone goal in their California journey. The goal was her first in orange and blue and it was a symbol of her hard work.

Burleigh also had a couple of good things to say about redshirt junior, Kit Loferski, who has scored one and assisted two so far in the season.

FSU’s Star

FSU’s biggest threat to any team is senior forward Deyna Castellanos. The Venezuela-native has two goals and two assists in the first four games of the season.

Castellanos is much more than just your typical, above-average college player. At just 20 years of age, she already has 13 caps for her country, scoring six goals. Her list of personal accolades is extensive to say the very least. One of these accolades includes a top-3 finish for the FIFA Female Best Player of the Year award.

Here’s the goal she scored against USC. She’s got that special something.

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