Florida
travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face a pair of top-15 teams in the Nike
Carolina Classic. The Gators open with No. 14 North Carolina on Friday, Aug. 24
at 7 p.m. in a match scheduled to stream on ESPN3.
Then Florida faces No. 2 Duke on Sunday, Aug. 26 at 1 p.m.
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Friday’s Match Info:
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RV Florida (0-1, 0-0-0 SEC)
at No. 14 North Carolina (0-1, 0-0-0 ACC)
Date & Time: Aug. 24, 2012 @ 7
p.m. ET
Site: Fetzer Field (5,700 The Coaches: Becky Burleigh, 18th season @ UF (382-104-32/24th season overall – 300-81-26/UF), Anson Dorrance 728-44-26 – 34th season overall & at UNC
Streaming Video: live streaming
video & audio available on ESPN3
Tickets: $5 for adults.
Contact the UNC Ticket Office at (800) 722-4335 for further information
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Both
North Carolina and Florida enter Friday’s match coming off season-opening
losses. Florida found itself trailing 3-0 at halftime versus Miami in the 2012
debut at the James G. Pressly Stadium on Aug. 17. Freshman Claire Falknor
put the Gators on the board in the 58th minute, but the Hurricanes
pushed the lead to the final 4-1 margin in the 67th minute. It was
the second home-opening loss in the 18-year history of Gator soccer. North
Carolina suffered only its fourth season-opening loss in its 34-year history
when it fell 1-0 at Portland on Aug. 17. The Pilots scored the only goal of the
match off a free kick in the fourth minute to claim its first win ever over
North Carolina.
This
is the 10th meeting between the two teams and the Gators’ only win over UNC in
the 1998 NCAA College Cup final gave UF the national title. This is the second
time UNC enters a match with UF without the No. 1 ranking (first was 2006 when
No. 5 UNC took a 1-0 win in Durham, N.C.).
Both
the Gators and the Tar Heel have players more than seven thousand miles away at
the 2012 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup. Play began Aug. 20 in Japan and the
medal matches are scheduled for Sept. 8.
Gator
junior transfer Adriana Leon is with the Canadian national team. She
joined the Gator team this season after playing the 2010 and 2011 campaigns at
Notre Dame. She turned in three goals in Canada’s 6-0 win versus Argentina in
the opening match.
North
Carolina is without four players. Three are members of the U.S. U-20 team -
junior forwards Crystal Dunn and Kealia Ohai and freshman goalkeeper Bryane
Hearberlin. New Zealand freshman defender Katie Bowen is competing for the
Football Ferns. The U.S. defeated Ghana 4-0 in its opening match and New
Zealand started play with a 2-1 victory over Switzerland.
