Thursday marks the home opener for the University of North Florida women’s soccer squad as they host the Florida Gators at 7 p.m. in an intriguing early-season matchup.
Sporting JAX will be in attendance, so make sure to stop by our tent for information about the club and to win giveaways with our world-famous spin to win! Additionally, there will be chances to register for season ticket deposits to lock in your spot for our inaugural seasons.
As for the match itself, it’s sure to be an exciting night of soccer. The UNF Ospreys have already experienced the highs and lows of competition, experiencing an upset victory over the Miami Hurricanes and a rough loss to the Florida State Seminoles. Meanwhile, the Gators started their season with a solid win over SoCon stalwart Western Carolina.
What to Know:
- Match played at Hodges Stadium
- Free parking available in Lot 18
- Admission to the match is free
- Match begins at 7 p.m.
The last time Sporting JAX was out at Hodges Stadium for a match, the Ospreys broke the all-time UNF women’s home sporting event attendance record with a crowd of nearly 5,000. With Florida’s popularity in the Jacksonville area, along with excitement surrounding the Ospreys, one can expect another lively atmosphere for Thursday’s match.
With it being so early in the season, there’s not much to go off of statistically when looking ahead to this match. However, it should be noted that UNF’s winning goal over Miami was scored by freshman Allison Souers with an incredible strike that is well-deserving of a watch.
For the Gators, their two goals to this point have come via senior Madison Young and sophomore Delaney Tellex. One came right before halftime and the other towards the end of regulation, so the Ospreys may need to lock down defensively at the end of each half to prevent some late goals.
Florida also held WCU scoreless, despite the Catamounts scoring at least four goals on six different occasions last season. Finding and exploiting a crack in the Florida defense will be tough, but crucial for the Ospreys if they want to grab a result.
A result against an SEC team would be a great way to reestablish momentum for a UNF squad that opened up with a powerful win. A loss may have followed, but it’s not too late to recapture the energy that the win provided. This early in the season, there’s still plenty of time and opportunity to get rolling before the Ospreys begin ASUN play.
The best part is that admission and parking is free! If you are attending and have an interest in women’s soccer, we encourage you to RSVP for the event. This is not required to attend, but is a great way to stay in the loop with Sporting JAX as we bring professional women’s soccer to Northeast Florida in the near future.
This will be a can’t-miss night of soccer and we can’t wait to see you there!
