Georgia Heads to Florida for Rivalry Matchup

Georgia (7-3-0, 1-1-0 SEC) at Florida (2-7-0, 0-2-0 SEC)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 25
Time: 12 p.m. EDT
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Site: Donald R. Dizney Stadium (1,500)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Live Stream: ESPNU (Mike Watts, PxP / Jill Loyden, Analyst)
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter: @UGASoccer
Instagram: @UGASoccer

Social Media: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

QUICK KICKS
Rivalry Renewed
Georgia returns to the road this weekend to face Florida in the annual meeting of border rivals. Florida is one of two schools (South Carolina) to have played Georgia in each season of program history. Although the Gators owns a 30-4-3 record in the series, the Bulldogs are unbeaten (2 W, 2 T) in their last four meetings and are looking to earn their first-ever win in Gainesville.

Last season, a late goal from Mollie Belisle gave Georgia a dramatic 4-3 victory over Florida. After going up 3-0, the Gators scored three second-half goals in a 12-minute span, including an equalizer from current Bulldog Nicole Vernis. Eventually, Dani Murguia found Belisle in the 85th minute for the winning score.

Close Match with Carolina
Georgia looks to rebound from a 1-0 loss to No. 8 South Carolina Thursday evening in Athens. The Gamecocks narrowly outshot the Bulldogs, 13-11, but led in shots on frame, 5-1. Liz Beardsley tallied four saves in the loss. After having a goal waved off earlier in the second half, South Carolina's Payton Patrick scored the winner in the 82nd minute.

Spreading the Wealth
Through 10 matches, 14 different Bulldogs have scored this season, tying for the second-most goal scorers in a single season. In the 1998 season, 16 different players netted a goal, while 14 Bulldogs scored during the 2000 season.

Gig 'Em, Dawgs
Georgia is looking to carry the momentum from a dramatic 3-2 win at Texas A&M last Friday. Despite being outshot, 19-8, the Bulldogs converted on all three shots on frame, including a pair of go-ahead goals after Aggie equalizers. Dasia Torbert tallied a career-best three points, including the winning goal in the 69th minute, earning her SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. She also became just the seventh player in program history to post a point in five straight matches. In net, Liz Beardsley posted five saves despite facing season highs in shots and corners. The win marked Georgia's first in an SEC road opener since 2013 and extended the team's winning streak to six, tied for third-longest in program history.

Dawgs in the Polls
With the SEC opener victory, Georgia moved up to seventh in the United Soccer Coaches Southeast Region rankings and debuted at No. 30 in the inaugural NCAA RPI rankings. The Bulldogs are one of 10 SEC schools ranked in the top 50 of the RPI, including upcoming opponents South Carolina and Alabama.

Beardsley Coming Up Big
Despite only having 45 minutes of previous experience under her belt, sophomore goalkeeper Liz Beardsley has impressed in her first full season in goal. After posting a shutout against Georgia Southern, Beardsley posted a solid performance against then-No. 1 Florida State, tallying six saves, including an outstanding leaping punch-save in the second half. She then only allowed one goal against Wake Forest before notching shutouts in her next five starts.

McAlpine Against the Gators
Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine has faced Florida twice in his career, earning a pair of wins in the 2018 and 2019 seasons while at USC.

Graduates Nearing History
With her 28th-minute goal against FSU, graduate forward Dani Murguia reached 50 points in her career, moving closer to the top 10 in program history. With an assist against Georgia State, Murguia now sits only three behind Suzannah Weathersbee for the program career record (24) and will look to set a new top mark during the season.

Fellow graduates Abby Boyan and Cecily Stoute are also nearing the top of the program record books. Boyan has now appeared and started in 81 matches (eighth-most in program history), putting her on pace to eventually break the records held by Natalie Farley (88 appearances) and Carrie Patterson (87 starts). She is also now tied seventh all-time in assists (18) and shots (178). Murguia (80 appearances) and Stoute (80 apps/starts) are also in line to eventually reach the top of the list as well.

Mighty McKenzie
Mallie McKenzie is in the midst of a career-best streak, scoring in three of Georgia's last five matches. Against USF, McKenzie became the 12th player in program history to score in three straight outings. McKenzie is tied for the team lead in points (9) and ranks second in SOG percentage (.600). She also ranks seventh in the nation and second in the SEC with three game-winning goals.

Loaded with Experience
Thanks to the NCAA's COVID-era eligibility changes, Georgia is equipped this season with four graduate players. Abby Boyan, Cecily Stoute, and Dani Murguia all return for their fifth seasons in Athens, with the trio each earning their bachelor's degree this year. They are joined by Washington transfer Ruby Hellstrom, who scored eight goals in 37 career starts for the Huskies.

New Friends on the Pitch
Even with 17 returning letterwinners, this year's squad features a large influx of talent with 12 newcomers: five transfers and seven freshmen. On the transfer part, Hellstrom is joined by fellow Pac-12 student-athlete Dasia Torbert, who returned home to Georgia following two seasons at UCLA. The Bulldogs also welcome sophomores Alyssa Stadeker (Florida State) and Joyelle Washington (Wisconsin), along with redshirt junior Nicole Vernis (Florida), who will sit out the season due to SEC transfer regulations.

A Bulldog Legacy
Junior midfielder Dasia Torbert enters her first season at Georgia as the first legacy player in program history. Her mother, Ali Comis Bose, was a member of the inaugural four-year class that played from 1995-98, reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 in her senior season. Torbert's father, Regan, also lettered for the football team in 2000.

Besting the Bulls
Georgia closed its non-conference season with a 2-0 win over USF on Sept. 11 in Athens, finishing early play with a 6-2-0 record. Mallie McKenzie opened the scoring with 21st-minute goal, followed by an insurance score from Dani Murguia in the 72nd minute. Both goals were set up by assists from Dasia Torbert, who set a new career best assist total. In her fifth-consecutive shutout, Liz Beardsley tallied two saves in the final 10 minutes of play, while the Bulldogs defense only allowed one USF corner kick.

Touchdown in Kennesaw
Georgia posted one of its most dominant performances in program history on Sept. 4 with a 7-0 win at Kennesaw State. The Bulldogs scored five goals in the first half, the 10th time in program history with 5+ goals in a half and the third-most in a first half. In other record-breaking notes, it tied for the most road goals and road margin of victory in a single match, as well as tying for the most individual goal scorers in a single match (Jacksonville, Oct. 6, 1996). With the win, Georgia improved to 37-1-3 all-time against in-state opponents.

Up Next
Georgia returns home to face No. 6 Alabama on Friday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. at the Turner Soccer Complex. The match will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

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Players Mentioned

Liz Beardsley

Mollie Belisle

Abby Boyan

Ruby Hellstrom

Mallie McKenzie

Dani Murguia

Alyssa Stadeker

Cecily Stoute

Dasia Torbert

Nicole Vernis

Joyelle Washington

University of Georgia Athletics