No. 24 Georgia Continues Road Trip at UCF Sunday

No. 24/8 Georgia (1-1-2, 0-0-0 SEC) at UCF (1-0-2, 0-0-0 Big 12)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 1
Time: 6 p.m. EDT
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Site: UCF Soccer & Track Complex (2,475)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Stream: ESPN+ (Ryan Davis, PxP / Bridget Howard, Analyst / Maddy Mae Dickinson, Sideline)
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: Georgia leads 4-2-0
In Athens: Georgia leads 3-0-0
In Orlando: UCF leads 2-1-0
Last Meeting: Georgia – W, 2-1 (Aug. 24, 2023 – Athens, Ga.)
Current Streak: W1
GF / GA: 7 / 5

QUICK KICKS
Sunday Knight Football
No. 24 Georgia concludes its Sunshine State road trip with a matchup against UCF Sunday in Orlando. The Bulldogs enter the contest with strong momentum following a 1-1 draw at top-ranked Florida State Thursday night, while UCF has tied its past two games against Utah Valley and Florida. Sunday marks the seventh all-time meeting between the programs with Georgia holding a 4-2 advantage in the series.

Last year, Georgia earned its first win of the 2023 season in dramatic fashion with a 2-1 victory over then-No. 22 UCF. Despite dominating the run of play, the Bulldogs trailed 1-0 heading into the final 10 minutes. Caroline Smith tied the match in the 83rd minute off a goalkeeper rebound. Later, graduate Hannah White finished off a long pass from senior Nicole Vernis, splitting two Knights defenders to deposit the winning goal with only 54 seconds remaining. White's goal was the second-latest regulation winner in program history, trailing only Jennifer Ahern's goal against UCF at the 89:35 mark on Sept. 5, 1998.

Tallahassee Tied
Georgia Soccer made history Thursday evening with a 1-1 tie at No. 1 Florida State, earning its first-ever result against a top-ranked team, following four previous losses in such matchups. The result was only the second tie for Florida State (3-0-1) in their current 26-match unbeaten streak which began at the start of last season. It was also the fourth result against a No. 1 squad for Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine (three wins, one tie).

Junior goalkeeper Jordan Brown provided a brick wall for Georgia, tallying a career-high 14 saves against 36 Seminole shots, the most allowed in program history. The Las Vegas native nearly matched the program record set by Nicole Williams against Washington in 1999. Graduate forward Tori Penn put the Bulldogs ahead in the 15th minute as she deposited a terrific pass from redshirt sophomore midfielder Summer Denigan (first career assist) for her first goal since Tennessee in the 2022 SEC Tournament. Penn has now posted a point in each of the past two matches after assisting Denigan last Sunday against Kennesaw State.

Program Connections
While Sunday's affair only marks the seventh meeting between Georgia and UCF, the programs share a decent amount of history. Georgia's first head coach, Bill Barker, came to Athens after serving in the same role at UCF from 1988-92. In the teams' first meeting in 1997, Georgia earned its first overtime victory in program history with a 2-1 win in Orlando. Additionally, senior midfielder Aly Akers is related to UCF royalty: her father, Mike, played for the Knights, as did her aunt, USWNT legend Michelle Akers, the 1988 MAC Hermann Trophy winner.

Up Next
No. 24 Georgia returns to Athens to kick off a four-match home stand against Big Ten foe Illinois on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Turner Soccer Complex. The match will stream live on SEC Network+.

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Players Mentioned

Aly Akers

Jordan Brown

Summer Denigan

Tori Penn

Caroline Smith

Nicole Vernis

Hannah White

University of Georgia Athletics