Florida Soccer Seeks First SEC Win, Entertains Kentucky
The Florida soccer team looks to turn recent strong performances into its first Southeastern Conference victory when it faces Kentucky on Thursday night.
Florida (4-5-2, 0-2-2 SEC) has battled through the eighth-toughest schedule by opponent rating, according to the NCAA. It has tied its last two matches, both against ranked opponents: a scoreless one with No. 15 South Carolina and a 2-2 result at No. 17 Georgia last week.
The draws followed one-goal defeats to No. 9 Arkansas and No. 24 Oklahoma earlier last month.
One key for Florida has been striking first. The Gators are 3-1 this season when scoring the opening goal, a trend they will look to extend against a Kentucky team (9-3-0, 3-1-0 SEC) that has started strong in SEC play with wins against Missouri, No. 25 Alabama and No. 20 Oklahoma.
Florida and Kentucky have been evenly matched in recent years. The Gators spoiled the Wildcats’ perfect 8-0 start last season by playing to an 0-0 draw in Lexington. The year before, the teams tied 1-1 in Gainesville. Their 2022 meeting in Lexington also ended in a 1-1 draw.
The series’ history, though, leans Florida’s way at home. The Gators are unbeaten in Gainesville against Kentucky, with an 11-0-3 record in matches played at Dizney Stadium.
Thursday’s match will pit two of the league’s top freshmen against one another. Florida’s Kai Tsakiris was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for her efforts against Georgia. Coincidentally, she shared the honor with Kentucky’s Gabi Poretto, who hails from Lithia, Florida.
Tsakiris is the second Gator freshman to receive the award this season, joining Addy Hess, who was honored in early September. She is also one of 11 Gators to score in 2025, fueling an attack that has already produced 20 goals through 11 matches, a sharp jump from last year, when Florida finished with just 13 goals from eight different players.
Redshirt junior midfielder Madison Jones also brings an added layer to Thursday’s contest. Jones spent her freshman year at Kentucky in 2022, appearing in all 18 matches and scoring twice, including the equalizer against Florida in the 1-1 draw. Now in her second season with the Gators after missing 2023 with a knee injury, she has played every match this fall, registering two goals and an assist.
Florida coach Samantha Bohon said the challenge for her squad is converting competitive showings into results.
“In the SEC the margins are so small,” Bohon said. “We’ve got to keep going and turn some of these good performances into wins … There’s no doubt that this team has a lot of heart and a lot of character.”
Kickoff between Florida and Kentucky is set for 7 p.m. (SEC Network+) Thursday at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
Category: Gators Soccer, SEC
