No. 22 Georgia Heads to Missouri for Sunday Night Match

Sunday, September 24

Columbia, Mo.

7 p.m.

University of Georgia

Missouri

No. 22 Georgia Heads to Missouri for Sunday Night Match

September 22, 2023 | Soccer

Match Notes

No. 22 Georgia (4-2-3, 0-1-1 SEC) at Missouri (5-2-2, 1-1-0 SEC)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 24
Time: 7 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. CDT
Location: Columbia, Mo.
Site: Audrey J. Walton Soccer Stadium (2,500)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Live Stream: SEC Network+ (Joey Zanaboni, PxP / Simon Rose, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
X: @UGASoccer
Instagram: @UGASoccer

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

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Missouri leads, 5-4-1
In Athens: Missouri leads, 3-1-1
In Columbia: Georgia leads, 3-2-0
Last Meeting: Georgia – W, 2-0 (Oct. 14, 2022 – Athens, Ga.)
Current Streak: W3
GF / GA: 14 / 14

QUICK KICKS
A New Opportunity
No. 22 Georgia returns to the road to face Missouri this Sunday in Columbia, with both teams looking to rebound from tough 3-2 losses on Thursday. Georgia enters this weekend's matchup on a four-match unbeaten streak against Mizzou after losing five of its first six SEC matchups against the Tigers. Last season, the Bulldogs began their late-season surge with a 2-0 win in Athens, claiming the victory with a Tigers own goal and converted penalty kick by Dani Murguia. The match also marked goalkeeper Jordan Brown's debut in net, with the Las Vegas native earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors with a two-save shutout.

Tough One with Tigers
Georgia is looking to bounce back following a 3-2 loss to LSU Thursday evening in Athens. In the final minute of the first half, graduate transfer Croix Bethune scored off a Nicole Vernis assist, hitting the scoresheet only 10 minutes into her Georgia debut. Early in the second half, Madison Haugen scored for the second-straight match off a cross from Mallie McKenzie to give Georgia a 2-0 lead. However, the Tigers continued to press, cutting the deficit in half with a converted penalty in the 74th minute, followed by the equalizer just two minutes later. In the 84th, Sage Glover took advantage of a scrum in front of the net for the go-ahead goal. Thursday's loss was the first time Georgia fell after holding a second-half lead since a 2-1 loss to Vanderbilt on Oct. 28, 2021.

Bethune is Back
The most anticipated debut in Georgia soccer history finally occurred in the 35th minute of the LSU match as two-time First Team All-American Croix Bethune took the field for the Bulldogs. The Alpharetta native wasted little time making her mark, scoring off a Nicole Vernis assist in the closing moments of the first half, moving her to 80 points in her illustrious career. Bethune joined Georgia this offseason following four seasons at USC, where she was a 2021 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and two-time Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year. Prior to the season, Bethune was named the No. 1 player in the country by Top Drawer Soccer.

Approaching Milestones
Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine is nearing a historic achievement, entering Sunday's match with 199 career victories, setting him one away from 200 in his outstanding career. Additionally, the program is nearing a milestone 300th victory in program history, standing at 293 wins entering the Missouri matchup.

Vernis on a Heater
After sitting out last season due to SEC transfer regulations, Nicole Vernis has begun to assert herself as one of Georgia's top offensive players. Vernis has posted a point in five of the Bulldogs' past six outings, including her assist of Bethune against LSU. Against Alabama, the North Palm Beach, Florida native gave Georgia the tie with a 15th-minute equalizer. She followed that up with a career-high two assists in the first half against San Francisco. During her time at Florida, Vernis scored in 2020 against Missouri and assisted on another goal the following year.

Dawg Bites

Georgia remained in the United Soccer Coaches poll this week, tying with Virginia at No. 22. Coupled with their No. 24 ranking in the Top Drawer Soccer poll, the Bulldogs are ranked in both polls for the first time this season. Additionally, Georgia entered at No. 8 in the first NCAA RPI rankings, one of four SEC teams in the top 10.
Thursday's loss to LSU was Georgia's first this season in a match where they scored 2+ goals, attempted 10+ shots, and outshot their opponent.
In the San Francisco match, four Bulldogs tallied their first goals of the season: Aly Akers, Ellie Gilbert, Madison Haugen, and Olivia Briede. For Akers, it was her first career goal, while Briede scored her first goal as a Bulldog. Through nine matches, 11 different Bulldogs have scored a goal. Last year, the team tied a program record with 16 different scorers.
Senior goalkeeper Lauren Swoopes made her first career start in net against San Francisco, racking up her first two career saves in the win. Sophomore keeper Jordan Brown came off the bench for the middle portion of the match, making her first substitute performance in her career. Brown has now entered the program's top 10 in saves, shutouts, starts, and minutes, while currently holding the lowest goals against average in program history (0.79).
With her assists in the past two matches , graduate midfielder Mallie McKenzie is now ranked fifth in program history with 20 assists. She is also now tied for 10th all-time in appearances with 84 matches.