Soccer Starts SEC Play Undefeated With Win Over Florida, 3-2

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Missouri soccer team starts off Southeastern Conference play with a road win over Florida, 3-2, on Friday, Sept. 15. Mizzou (5-1-2) was outshot in the contest but withstood a late flurry from Florida (4-2-2) to earn the three points.

How It Happened

Missouri came out aggressive, with sophomore Kylee Simmons taking the first shot of the match that the Florida goalkeeper saved. It did not take long for Mizzou to get on the board and take a 1-0 lead as senior Jenna Bartels scored from junior Leah Selm in the 12th minute. The Tigers followed with a made penalty kick by Simmons in the 18th minute before the Gators responded with a penalty kick of their own in the 22nd minute. The first half ended with Mizzou up 2-1 and the Gators having not recorded a shot in the run of play.

Starting the second half off on the right foot, Simmons earned the brace off a beautiful ball from senior Grace Pettet in the 49th minute. A big save by redshirt sophomore Bella Hollenbach in the 73rd minute would keep the game at 3-1 until Florida earned one back just a minute later to pull within one. Hollenbach made two more critical saves, one with four seconds left on the clock. The Tigers were able to hold off the Gators to start conference play.

Game Notes 

• Missouri’s all-time record against Florida moves to 7-8-2 as the Tigers have defeated the Gators in the last five consecutive games.
• The contest marked the first career start for freshman Mia Yang. Yang played 58 minutes and has appeared in six games this season.
• Bartels scored the game’s first goal, earning her second of the season and fourth of her career. The goal was assisted by Selm, marking her first of 2023 and fourth of her career.
• Simmons earned her team-leading sixth and seventh goals of the season. The first came on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute, and the second was scored in the 49th minute. Pettet’s assist on the goal was the first of her career.
• Hollenbach made four saves in her fourth start of the season and third win.
• The Tigers were topped in the contest by the Gators in shots (10-5), shots on goal (6-4) and corners (8-3).

Up Next

Missouri stays on the road, heading to Auburn for a tiger faceoff on Thursday, Sept. 21. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 pm CT and can be streamed on SEC Network+.

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