GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Seven goals. Seven different Gators.
 
Florida soccer spread the scoring around Saturday afternoon, with seven players finding the net in a 7-1 win over Florida International to close 2026 preseason exhibition play at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
 
The Gators’ first goal in the 23rd minute started a five-goal burst over a 17-minute span. Skye Barnes headed in Zoe Main’s corner kick to open the scoring before Main added a goal of her own just three minutes later. Main won possession in the Panthers’ defensive third and sent a shot to the far post for Florida’s second goal.
 
Lena Bailey made it three in the 35th minute, scoring from 14 yards for her second goal in as many UF exhibition matches. Freshman Mia Gray joined the scoring three minutes later, curling a shot to inside the far post from just above the endline. Kyra Taylor capped the first-half outburst in the 40th minute with a strike from the middle.
 
Freshman Iori Watanabe added Florida’s sixth goal in the 64th minute, finishing Main’s cross at the far post. Addy Hess closed the Gators’ scoring with five minutes remaining, connecting on an angled shot from just inside the top of the box.
 
Florida International’s Mariana Barreto scored the Panthers’ lone goal in the 67th minute.

What the Gators Said:

Associate Head Coach Jonathan Garbar post-match:

“You see seven goals, and you can be very enamored by just the numbers. But, obviously, seven different goal scorers, several different players on assists. It does show a depth. It’s pretty evident, but it also, I think, it shows our consistency to be able to apply pressure on the opponent throughout the entire match. The goals came at different periods as well, not just from different players. So it was good to see at different periods of the game, us continuing to be able to dominate the areas of the pitch that we felt were required for us to get the kind of result that we did today.

 

Heading into season opener…

“We just gotta stay in our path. I know that that sounds a bit cliche, but, right now, we are very, very confident with the way that we navigated the transition period About seven to ten days, then preseason, we’ve really taken full advantage of the time that we have to be able to teach.

 

“But more than anything, the players have been incredible in terms of their levels of curiosity, their open mindedness. They also just love being together. They love playing together and love just spending time with one another. So as we go into these next couple games, we’re gonna continue to lean into everything that we’ve been doing these last couple of weeks. When you’re when you’re doing the things, that you set forth for yourself and when you’re willing to adapt to the group, you don’t have to tell your team at the last minute, ‘Hey, guys. Now it’s serious.’ And now we’re getting into the season. Where it’s always serious, but it’s also a seriousness that comes with a level of ownership from the players because they really are the ones setting the tone for everything.”

 Is the team looking forward to the opener next Thursday at UCF?

“Absolutely. Nothing changes once the season starts. We’ve been working hard since day one of the spring, so I think everything stays the same, but we are so excited. We feel ready for this next step. I’m just really excited to finally get out and get the seasons going. ” Senior Zoe Main.

 

Next Up:

The 2026 season opens Thursday when Florida travels to UCF to face the Knights.

 

The season opener marks the fourth time in the program’s 32 seasons the Gators have opened against the Knights, with all four season-opening meetings taking place in Orlando. Florida owns a 14-8-2 advantage in the all-time series, though UCF claimed the most recent meeting, 1-0, on Aug. 28, 2025, at Dizney Stadium.

 

                Date: Aug. 13

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Site: UCF Soccer Complex with Ryan Davis and Jade Barkett calling the action; Berkleigh Mezzanotte providing sideline reports

Stream: ESPN +

Stats

Tickets

 

2026 Florida Soccer Schedule