The No. 18 University of Florida soccer team turned in a 3-1 exhibition win over UCF on a soggy Sunday afternoon at the UCF Soccer Field.

A penalty kick in the 18^th minute put the Gators on the board. Stacy Bishop was making a strong run in the box and was fouled near the goal to give the Gators the penalty kick. KeLeigh Hudson’s shot went in untouched to give UF the 1-0 lead.

The darkening skies finally released the rains in the 27^th minute and the rest of the first half and much of the second half was played in showers.

Junior Bianca Gibbs spied sophomore Ameera Abdullah open on the left side and her perfectly played ball put Abdullah in a 1 v 1 situation with the UCF goalkeeper.  She hit an eight-yard shot to put the Gators up 2-0 in the 40^th minute. The lead was cut in half just over a minute later. UCF took a shot near the top of the box that was blocked, but Roberta Pelarigo chipped the rebound to the far post corner to put the Golden Knights on the board.

In the second half, Florida freshman Ashlee Elliott was deep in the UCF half and crossed the ball across the goal mouth. Her ball found the head of Bishop, who hit the short shot to the far post in the 56^th minute.

“I liked some things I saw out there, especially considering it was our first time out against an opponent. There were some outstanding goals and some outstanding chances created. The second team came in and boosted the tempo in the second half,” UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh said.

“We hope the fans come out to support the Gators when we open the season Friday against defending NCAA champion Portland,” she continued.

Next up, the Gators open the season Friday, Aug. 25 when they play host to 2005 NCAA champion Portland. Match time is set for 8 p.m. at the James G. Pressly Stadium and admission is free. Friday’s match can be heard live on WRUF-AM 850. Live, streaming video can be seen at www.GatorZone.com – just click on the GatorVision icon for more information.