Nov. 15, 2025, may not have seemed like a particularly significant date at the time. But 307 days later, it became the centerpiece of a full-circle storyline.
During the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Lipscomb stunned Mississippi State, ending the Bulldogs’ season. On opposite ends were two coaches who would eventually find themselves facing one another again: Nick Zimmerman, then leading Mississippi State, and Kevin O’Brien, then at the helm of Lipscomb.
On Friday, the two met again. Only now, the roles had changed. Zimmerman returned to Starkville as Florida’s head coach, while O’Brien was the Mississippi State head coach. The drama, storylines, and setting couldn’t have been more fitting for Florida’s second consecutive road match to open conference play.
Ultimately, Florida (4-3-2) fought back from a one-goal deficit twice to earn a positive road result, battling Mississippi State (8-1-1) to a 2-2 draw Friday in Starkville.
Florida’s offense faced a tall task heading into the match. The Bulldogs’ defense had allowed just 45 shots this season, while the Gators had nearly tripled that total with 147 shots attempted.
Florida’s aggressive play in the final third was evident immediately, though, as sophomore defender Tatum Borman recorded the first chance of the match. The former Bulldog received a backheel pass from freshman midfielder Mia Gray and dribbled into space on the left side of the 18-yard box. But Mississippi State veteran goalkeeper Jenny Harrison dove to her right to make her first save of the match.
In the 10th minute, disaster struck for Florida — and senior goalkeeper Jayden Emmanuel was the victim of an unlucky sequence.
Mississippi State junior midfielder Kara Harris fired a shot that rattled off the crossbar, butEmmanuel had already committed to the shot and dove to her right. The rebound then fell directly to senior forward Hailey Johnson, who calmly finished the chance for her fifth goal of the season. With the tally, the Bulldogs had scored within the first 20 minutes in seven of their nine matches this season.
Following the goal, the Gators continued to pressure the Bulldogs, with senior forward Zoe Main, freshman defender Carlota Martins and Borman each recording a shot. However, all three attempts were blocked by Mississippi State defenders inside the box.
In the 26th minute, forward Kelsey Smith found herself one-on-one with a Mississippi State defender. The redshirt senior was unable to get a shot on target, as her attempt was once again blocked by the Bulldogs’ defense before Harrison gathered the ball to snuff out the threat.
On the ensuing counterattack, junior forward Elsa Johnson found space outside the Gators’ 18-yard box and fired a powerful shot. Emmanuel dove to her right to make her first save of the match.
Although the Gators earned four corner kicks in the first half, they were unable to create a quality chance from any of the set pieces. Mississippi State’s stifling defense appeared to frustrate Florida’s attack.
Smith continued to make an impact on the left wing for the Gators. With five minutes remaining in the half, she recorded her second shot of the period, this time forcing Harrison into her second save of the match.
By the end of the first 45 minutes, UF had doubled MSU’s shot total, 8-4, but only two of the Gators’ attempts were on target. To find an equalizer, the Gators needed to execute a perfect play against a Bulldogs defense that had been seemingly impossible to crack.
Just three minutes into the second half, Florida nearly equalized when Gray fired a shot that nearly found senior forward Kyra Taylor, but Harrison quickly dealt with it and punched it away for her third save.
Mississippi State was awarded its first corner and nearly doubled its advantage. On the set piece, sophomore defender Ella Nicholson was left unmarked on the left side and got her head on the ball, forcing Emmanuel to make an incredible save to punch it over the crossbar and out for another corner.
In the 60th minute, UF received two consecutive corner kicks. On the second, Borman fired a right-footed shot that deflected off Harris’ hand, prompting a VAR review.
After review, the head referee determined there was enough evidence to award Florida a penalty kick. Veteran defender Skye Barnes stepped up and buried the spot kick for her first goal of the season.
The tie didn’t last long.
The Bulldogs earned a free kick, and sophomore defender Chiara Tappe stepped up to take the set piece. The German international delivered a magnificent cross to Echloson, whose header found the back of Florida’s net to give Mississippi State a 2-1 lead. It was Echloson’s second goal of the season and Tappe’s third assist.
Off Mississippi State’s fourth corner of the match, senior defender Ashley Tutas got a flick-on header that forced Emmanuel to make a last-ditch save to keep Florida’s deficit at one.
With 20 minutes to go, time was ticking for another equalizing goal, and UF was in real danger of back-to-back losses to start conference play.
But UF had one late lifeline, and nobody was more fitting for the moment than Taylor. The co-captain saw a cross from UF’s eighth corner of the night fall to her feet, allowing for an easy finish for her team-high fifth goal of the season.
The Gators had the final chance of the match with 30 seconds remaining. Sophomore midfielder Adia Symmonds fired a shot on target, but it was straight at Harrison for her final save of the evening.
Florida returns home next Thursday for their conference opener against Texas (5-2-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
Contact Zach Moore at zmoore@alligator.org. Follow him on X @zach_moore27.
Zach is a junior sports journalism student in his third semester at The Alligator. He currently covers soccer for the Fall 2026 season after previously serving as the softball reporter. Zach also has experience as a play-by-play broadcaster in the Florida Collegiate Summer League for the Winter Garden Squeeze. In his free time, Zach enjoys going to the gym and watching sports, especially his favorite teams: the Minnesota Vikings, Arsenal FC, Houston Astros, Orlando Magic and Orlando City SC. A fun fact about Zach is that he is also an avid WWE fan.
