No. 19 Gamecocks Welcome No. 23 Florida for SEC Opener

COLUMBIA, SC – No. 19 South Carolina women’s soccer (6-1-0) will kick off SEC play on Thursday, facing the No. 23 Florida Gators (4-2-1) in Stone Stadium at 6:00 p.m. The game will be streamed live on SECN+. The Gamecocks finished the 2025 campaign 4-2-4 in conference play and played in the SEC Tournament for the 20th straight year.

LAST TIME OUT

• South Carolina had an offensive showing against College of Charleston (Sept. 6), coming out on top with a decisive 6-1 win over the Cougars on Senior Night. Five of the six goals were scored in the first half alone, the second-most in a half in program history.
• Six different Gamecocks scored, five of them seniors. Sydney Middaugh (8′) opened things up, followed by Emilie Castagna (10′), Cuyler Zulauf (15′), junior Ava Tutas (35′), Sophie Johnson (38′), and Reese Slater (50′).
• Middaugh now leads the team with three goals and eight points

SCOUTING THE GATORS 

• Thursday’s matchup with Florida will be the 40th in the series’ history
• The Gators lead things with a series record of 22-13-4, but the Gamecocks have remained unbeaten in the last 10 meetings (7-0-3)
• The programs last met in Gainesville in 2025 (Sept. 21), with both teams remaining scoreless throughout the match for a 0-0 draw
• Florida heads into Columbia coming off a 2-1 loss against mutual opponent Wake Forest, heading into the final minutes with a 1-1 tied up game, but ultimately falling to an 80th-minute penalty kick converted by the Demon Deacons

FAN INFORMATION

Fans are encouraged to follow along with in-game updates on X and Instagram, @GamecockWSoccer.