It was a gloomy afternoon at Donald R. Dizney Stadium on Thursday, as the Florida Gators soccer team walked on its home pitch for the last time this season.
At the 68-minute mark, Florida senior forward Njeri Butts dribbled to the left side of the goal and fired, hitting the back of the net to give Florida a 1-0 lead. However, the virtual assistant referee review ruled that Butts was offside, and the game was left at nil-nil.
But, with less than a minute remaining, the Gators had one more chance to come out victorious. Freshman forward Kai Tsakiris took the corner kick and found sophomore defender Skye Barnes. But, the header from Barnes was saved on a leaping block by Ole Miss sophomore goalie Taylor Prigge, who finished with six saves.
Florida had another corner chance, and freshman forward Katie Johnston had an opportunity of her own to end the game, but she fired right to the chest of Prigge.
The Gators (6-5-5, 2-5-2 SEC) drew against the Ole Miss Rebels (4-3-7, 0-3-6 SEC) 0-0 on Sunday as they made it seven straight undefeated SEC matchups.
“We’re really disappointed,” UF head coach Samantha Bohon said. “We needed a result here beyond a tie.”
It was a strong defensive performance by both sides, as both teams combined for just nine shot attempts in the first half of action.
The Gators earned the first shot of the game five minutes in, when sophomore defender Abby Gemma missed to the outside left of the net.
Rebels sophomore forward Mila Ecreg responded with a chance of her own at minute 9, but she misfired to the right of the goal.
For the next 15 minutes, neither team could generate open looks, as both defenses battled for possession.
But, Florida found its chance at minute 26. Tsakiris dribbled towards the goal just outside the box and fired, Prigge slid forward to block the attempt. Prigge finished with three saves.
Six minutes later, the Rebels found an opportunity of their own. However, freshman forward Brooklyn Marn sailed the ball from outside the box right to the waiting hands of UF redshirt sophomore Paloma Peña. Florida’s shot-stopper finished with three saves.
With just 30 seconds left in the first half, Butts dribbled around the left side of the field and fired a pass straight to redshirt sophomore midfielder Brinley Murphy, but, she couldn’t convert the header as the ball sailed over the crossbar.
Despite chances to score at the end of the half, the Gators walked into halftime with a scoreless tie.
UF freshman midfielder Sophia Sindelar had a chance to break the scoreless tie just four minutes into the second half, but her shot veered to the right of the goal.
Erceg had a response for the Rebels at minute 63, but her shot was blocked by a wall of Gator defenders.
Tsakiris and Johnston had chances at the 64 and 65-minute marks, but the Ole Miss defense returned the favor, blocking both attempts.
Ecreg’s fourth shot of the game came 12 minutes later, but her shot made its way to the arms of Peña. Sindelar responded with a shot right after, but her attempt was saved by Prigge.
Johnston generated an open look at minute 83, dribbling past Ole Miss defenders. But, her shot hooked left out of bounds.
Despite Florida’s chances in the final minutes, the Rebel defense stood tall behind Pigge to end the match in a draw.
“I’ll never be ungrateful for a shutout,” Bohon said. “I just wish we could have been a little bit better in the final third.”
The Gators will end their 2025 regular season on the road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana against the LSU Tigers (9-3-5, 4-3-2 SEC) at LSU Soccer Stadium on Thursday at 3 p.m.
Contact Adrian Carmona at acarmona@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @abcarmona04.
Adrian is a senior journalism major and the soccer reporter for Fall 2025. He enjoys playing Sporcle quizzes and ranting about South Florida sports.
