Soccer faces #23 Florida on Thursday night

FAYETTEVILLE – Due to a change in the Southeastern Conference policies and procedures the University of Arkansas Lady Razorback soccer team faces 23rd-ranked Florida at Lady’Back Field on Thursday night, Oct. 25, at 7:00 p.m. at Lady’Back Field in Fayetteville.

After two seasons of close calls, the league office decided that on this particular weekend where all 12 SEC squads are playing one match at home and one away, that it would be easier for all parties to give teams an extra day of travel.

“The SEC changed our schedules this fall to give teams an extra day between games,” Arkansas head coach Gordon Henderson said. “We still have two quality teams coming up this weekend and we will need to be at our best if we want to get a result. I am hoping to see a very good, competitive match on Friday night.”

The Lady Razorbacks are looking to get back some of the magic that is usually associated with Lady’Back Field. A rough four-match road stretch has the Lady’Backs reeling and looking for points in their quest to qualify for the SEC Championship Tournament in early November. Florida is also looking for points, although for a different reason. The Gators trail Tennessee by four points for the overall and Eastern Division championship.

Arkansas’ downfall this season has been its rash of injuries since the start of SEC play in late September. Three Lady’Backs are lost for the duration of the season and several others are competing at less than 100 percent making Arkansas’ final three matches of the year that much tougher. Regardless of the lost players, the Lady Razorbacks feel that they have competed well in each of their games and hope that home field will allow them to stage another upset this fall.

Three weeks ago, the Lady Razorbacks shocked then sixth-ranked Tennessee at Lady’Back Field with a 1-1 tie, its best result against a ranked team in the top 10 ever. Arkansas was able to get the draw thanks to solid defense and an explosive offense that countered well against the Lady Vol attack.

Florida enters the weekend as the winners of five straight and after an opening weekend of conference play where it lost to Georgia and Tennessee, Florida has decimated its opponents by a combined score of 14-1. Its string of impressive victories moved it from getting no votes in the national poll to #23 and vying for a league title.

For more information about Lady Razorback soccer or about Arkansas women’s athletics, please go to www.ladybacks.com.