Gators Soccer Hosts No. 25 Auburn in SEC Tournament Push
Florida soccer (6-6-3, 2-4-2 SEC) returns home to face No. 25 Auburn (8-2-5, 4-2-2 SEC) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Donald R. Dizney Stadium, opening a two-match homestand to close the regular season as the Gators fight for a spot in the SEC Tournament.
Florida comes back to Gainesville after consecutive road losses to then-No. 2 Vanderbilt (14-0-1, 7-0-1 SEC) on Oct. 15 and defending SEC regular-season champion Arkansas on Sunday. Against the Razorbacks, Florida led 1-0 at halftime on a goal by Katie Johnston, but Arkansas scored twice in the second half, including the winner by freshman MacKenzie Gwin with seven seconds left.
Despite the loss, Florida’s attack showed signs of life, with 12 shots and seven on target, a sharp rise from the season-low seven shots it took against Vanderbilt. For Auburn, Florida will need to bring back the high offensive pressure and shot volume that lagged at Vanderbilt. The Gators rank fourth in the SEC in shots, averaging 16.53 per match.
“Credit to Vanderbilt. They are one of the top teams in the country,” coach Nick Zimmerman said. “They are a group that brought back a huge part of the team that won the SEC Tournament title and went to the Elite Eight. We are proud of the commitment in the second half from the group.”
Returning home could help. The Gators are 5-2-1 at Dizney Stadium this season, and their most recent home match was a 1-0 upset of then-No. 5 Alabama on Oct. 8.
Defense has been Auburn’s calling card. The Tigers have scored 23 goals this season but have allowed only four in 15 matches, with 11 shutouts. They rank second nationally in fewest goals conceded and first in goals-against average at 0.267 per match.
Auburn is coming off a weekend of ties at home, 1-1 with Kentucky (7-5-3, 3-2-3 SEC) and 0-0 with then-No. 23 Mississippi State (8-2-5, 2-1-5 SEC), a team Florida tied 2-2. Against Kentucky, the Tigers equalized after the Wildcats’ early goal and shut them down the rest of the way. Against Mississippi State, they held the Bulldogs to five shots, well below their average of 14.33.
The Tigers’ offense shouldn’t be overlooked, either. Auburn beat then-No. 13 Tennessee (6-4-4, 1-4-3 SEC) 1-0 on a far-post shot by forward Dylan Driver.
“They do a really good job at making it tough,” Zimmerman said of Auburn’s attack. “They’re not afraid to get into transition moments. We know we’re going to have to be good defensively.”
Florida will look to Kyra Taylor to challenge that defense. The forward has gone four consecutive matches without a goal but remains the Gators’ leading scorer this season.
The Gators hold a 19-11-2 all-time edge over Auburn, including a 10-2 mark in Gainesville. The Tigers won the most recent meeting 1-0 in Auburn, Alabama, in 2024.
The stakes are high in the standings. With two matches left in the regular season, Florida is tied with LSU for 11th in the SEC with eight points, just ahead of 13th-place Tennessee. The Gators close the season against Georgia on Nov. 1 and must finish no lower than 12th to earn a berth in the tournament.
“The cool part is we control our own fate,” Zimmerman said. “We know that we’re more than capable of putting performances together, and now it’s what do we need to do, what do they need from us, to put our best performance of the season together.”
Florida and Auburn kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday. WRUF’s coverage begins at 6:45 p.m.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Soccer
