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Gators, Wildcats play to 1-1 draw in Gainesville

On3 imageby: Gators Online Staff10/03/25GatorsOnline
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Florida celebrates with Addy Hess (center) after her first-half goal. The Gators tied Kentucky 1-1 Thursday at Dizney Stadium. (Photo by UAA Communications)

Story by Landon Craven

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators soccer team battled Kentucky to a 1-1 draw Wednesday night at Dizney Stadium under cloudy skies. UF struck first in the opening half before the Wildcats evened the score in the second.

The result marked the third consecutive tie for the Gators after three straight losses.

“We’ve gone three straight SEC matches undefeated. I think that there’s something to take away from that,” Florida coach Samantha Bohon said after the match. “I think we’ve shown we’re a hard team to beat, so that’s really good. And we are scoring goals, so that’s good.

Kentucky nearly jumped ahead in the opening minute when Tanner Strickland rattled the crossbar with a long-range shot. The Wildcats kept the pressure on early, earning two corners within the first seven minutes.

Florida found its rhythm midway through the first half. In the 15th minute, Addy Hess drew a foul in the attacking half. Off the ensuing free kick, Hess rose for a header that struck the post. Just two minutes later, she found the back of the net to give the Gators a 1-0 lead.

Goalkeeper Paloma Peña made a key stop off a Kentucky corner in the 20th minute to preserve the advantage. Florida continued to push forward, with Hess sending a shot high in the 28th and earning the team’s first corner three minutes later.

Skye Barnes appeared to double the lead in the 34th minute, but the flag went up for offsides. The half featured several physical moments, including a yellow card shown to Addy Lang in the 38th minute. Tatum O’Coyne earned a late corner for Florida before halftime, and the Gators carried a 1-0 lead into the break.

Kentucky equalized in the 55th minute when Thalia Morisi scored on a header to make it 1-1. Peña kept Florida level soon after, diving to push a shot wide for a corner in the 61st minute.

The final stretch turned tense and physical. The Wildcats earned a free kick in the attacking half in the 75th minute before being ruled offside moments later. Both teams received yellow cards in the 77th minute — Charlotte McClure for Florida and Morisi for Kentucky — and Lauren McCloskey was booked in the 82nd.

Florida earned a late corner in the 88th minute but couldn’t find the winner. The match ended in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of back-and-forth play.

Hess’s goal and Peña’s saves highlighted a strong performance for the Gators (4-2-5, 0-2-2 SEC) against a Kentucky team (9-3, 3-1 SEC) that entered the night near the top of the conference standings.

“This was really a hard game to kind of get into any sort of rhythm, so it was a little bit tricky. But at the end of the day, this is why we love playing in the SEC as you can always get a good game,” Bohon said. “So, we’ll make the most of the point, hopefully. We’ve got a really strong Texas team ahead away on Sunday. So, we got to regroup and get ready.” 

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