{"id":379365,"date":"2026-08-24T00:42:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T00:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/379365\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T00:42:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T00:42:13","slug":"florida-gators-stun-no-3-fsu-in-ncaa-womens-soccer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/379365\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Gators stun No. 3 FSU in NCAA women’s soccer"},"content":{"rendered":"

GAINESVILLE \u2014 New Florida women\u2019s soccer coach Nick Zimmerman<\/a> wasted little time signaling better days are ahead \u2014 much sooner than anyone expected.<\/p>\n

Zimmerman\u2019s Gators started what they hope is a new era at the expense of No. 3 Florida State, dominating the defending national champion Seminoles in a 3-1 decision Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery win is good for us. Every single win,\u201d redshirt senior goalkeeper Jayden Emmanuel said. \u201cObviously just a little bit sweeter when it\u2019s FSU.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Florida\u2019s first win against its in-state rival since a 2015 upset of then-No. 1 FSU and came in Zimmerman\u2019s third match leading the Gators since he arrived from Mississippi State.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a huge, huge win for our program, for our organization,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to celebrate. We\u2019re going to enjoy it, and then we\u2019re going to get back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Losers of eight straight in the series, the Gators (2-1) ended a 36-game nonconference unbeaten streak for the Seminoles (3-1) with superior energy and physicality as a reported 1,653 fans at Dizney Stadium looked on during a hot, humid afternoon in Gainesville.<\/p>\n

Among those in the record crowd was former Orlando Magic star Grant Hill, whose daughter Lael is a true freshman defender for the Gators and a product of Lake Highland Prep.<\/p>\n

A two-time national champion at Duke and seven-time NBA All-Star, Hill celebrated with players\u2019 parents as their daughters hugged and jumped up and down at the field\u2019s south end.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not just beating the team; you\u2019re beating the legacy,\u201d Hill said. \u201cIt\u2019s a statement game in a lot of ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Gators have struggled to find a positive direction ever since Becky Burleigh retired in 2020 with her program in decline after more than two decades of success, highlighted by the 1998 national championship featuring Abby Wambach and Heather Mitts.<\/p>\n

Zimmerman is the Gators\u2019 third coach since then.<\/p>\n

\"NewNew Florida women’s soccer coach Nick Zimmerman walks the sideline prior to the Gators’ 3-1 upset of No. 3 Florida State on Sunday at Dizney Stadium in Gainesville. (Courtesy UF’s University Athletic Association Communications)<\/p>\n

A one-year stint by former Stetson coach Tony Amato ended in 2022<\/a> because of concerns about his approach with players. Samantha Bohon\u2019s four subsequent seasons produced a 5-23-12 record in SEC play and four losses to FSU by a combined 14-0, including a 5-0 loss in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think back to the standard of what you know Florida soccer was,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cTo see the joy and the love and the fans, and just how much it means \u2026 to the players. They\u2019re putting in a ton of work.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust really happy for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Gators opened 2026 with a 4-3 loss at UCF filled with missed opportunities, but rebounded to beat Coastal Carolina 3-2.<\/p>\n

After managing just one goal through three games in 2025, the Gators\u2019 attack appears on sound footing with senior forwards Kyra Taylor and Zoe Main.<\/p>\n

The two Mississippi State transfers led the Gators\u2019 offense against the Seminoles.<\/p>\n

A corner kick by Main led to a header from freshman Mia Gray to Taylor\u2019s right foot for an easy tap-in and a 1-0 lead. Main later made a run down the right side and found Taylor with a cross in front of the goal that she finished with her left foot for a 2-0 advantage in the 61st minute.<\/p>\n

Taylor has quickly assumed a leadership role, with her coach using her as an example of expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goals that she scores, the work rate, just everything about her \u2026 we highlighted her in front of the team \u2014 that\u2019s the standard,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cWhen you ask what does a Florida soccer player look like, you just point to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Gators added their third goal in the 79th minute. Tatum Bornum won the ball just inside Florida\u2019s half and played it into space for Montelene Dymond. The senior carried the ball through the Seminoles\u2019 half, beat the goalkeeper to slot home her first goal as a Gator.<\/p>\n

Florida State got on the board in the 83rd minute. Ryder Ajeto\u2019s first touch in the box was deflected by a Florida defender, but Ajeto followed the ball and scored from eight yards to produce the final 3-1 margin.<\/p>\n

Emmanuel, now in her fifth season, shined during her first start in goal this season.<\/p>\n

With Florida leading 1-0, she faced a one-on-one with FSU attacker Shaniel Buckley but denied her by diving to the right to make the save.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mind was kind of blank,\u201d she said. \u201cI kind of hit flow state a little bit there.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Sunday\u2019s win, Emmanuel is confident the Gators have found themselves under Zimmerman.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s who we are,\u201d she said. \u201cJust keep watching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GAINESVILLE \u2014 New Florida women\u2019s soccer coach Nick Zimmerman wasted little time signaling better days are ahead \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379366,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[111,28,2530,2496,114,139,141,140,76046,110],"class_list":["post-379365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-college-sports","tag-florida","tag-florida-gators","tag-gainesville","tag-latest-headlines","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-social-sports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}