Kentucky Closes First Half of SEC Play at Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After a historic start to Southeastern Conference play, Kentucky (9-3-0, 3-1-0 SEC) travels to Gainesville for its second road match of the season at Florida (4-5-2, 0-2-2 SEC). The match, which will mark the close of the first half of league play, is schedule to kick off at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 2 from Donald R. Dizney Stadium. The contest will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
Kentucky travels to Gainesville on a two-match winning streak—just the second such streak in SEC play under fourth-year Head Coach Troy Fabiano—after topping Missouri and No. 25 Alabama in its last two SEC contests. With a SEC-opening victory over No. 20 Oklahoma, the Cats have won multiple matches against ranked opponents for the first time under Fabiano.
The Wildcats are off the program’s best start to conference play since 2013 after claiming victory its three of their first four league matches. With the three wins in hand, Kentucky has matched the most SEC victories in a season under Fabiano, tying the 2023 and 2024 squads who both went 3-3-4.
Defender Gabi Poretto was named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week after her game-winning penalty kick in Kentucky’s 2-1 upset over No. 25 Alabama last Friday. Poretto has now scored the last two game-winning goals for the Cats—both penalty kicks—after burying an 89th-minute strike against Missouri on September 21.
Kentucky, who is receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll for the first time since the preseason, is searching for its first win in Gainesville, trailing the overall series 25-5-6 and 11-0-3 on the road. The Cats and the Gators have met in each of Fabiano’s previous seasons, with all three meetings ending in draws.
The Wildcats will close out the week with the team’s fifth ranked opponent in its last seven matches, returning home to host No. 24 Vanderbilt on Sunday, October 5 at 1 p.m. ET. Admission to all 2025 Kentucky Soccer regular season home matches will be free to the public.
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