A first-half goal by senior All-American Stacy Bishop gave the University of Florida soccer team (5-4-2, 1-2 SEC) a 1-0 win over Kentucky (6-4-2, 0-4 SEC) Sunday afternoon for the team’s first Southeastern Conference victory.

Almost the entirety of the opening half was played in rain. A four-minute rain shower started just two minutes into the match, letting up for a few minutes before starting again with around 30 minutes left in the half. The intensity of the rain and the winds increased as the opening half progressed, but the skies cleared for the second half of play. Rain has been a part of many of the Gators’ home matches this season. The Sept. 2 UF-Notre Dame saw weather-related delays that totaled almost five hours and the Sept. 21 UF-FAU match was delayed more than an hour due to lightening. Friday’s match with Vanderbilt was moved to Nov. 4 after the Gainesville area received four inches of rain Thursday and Friday, making the field unplayable.

The Gators first goal Sunday came in the midst of the second rain shower of the opening half. Freshman Karly Findorff lofted a ball from the left side to the far post, where Bishop headed it in at 23:44 for her third goal of the season.

“I really didn't have to do anything,” said Bishop. “Karly played a great ball in and I just tried to get something on it. “

Bishop has turned in each of the last three goals scored by the Gators this season, heading in two of the three. The offensive surge of late is a result of a change in her positioning by the coaching staff.

“The coaches have told me to stay forward more because I was playing too much defense,” she said. “It’s been paying off, getting high and getting to where I feel like I can score and get to balls that are coming in.”

For Findorff, it was her second assist of the season, both coming on game-winning goals. She registered her first collegiate assist on KeLeigh Hudson’s goal that gave UF a 2-1 win over then No. 9 Florida State on Sept. 9.

“The coaches have been stressing all week that we need to get the ball in the box. Stacy was on the back post which is obviously one of the places we want to put it,” said Findorff. “I put it in there and Bishop went up there and had a great header.”

UF goalkeeper Katie Fraine made a save on the Wildcat’s only shot on goal of the match by Nicola Hodsworth in the 78th minute to preserve her fifth shutout of the year.

“I think it was a midfielder who ended up splitting two of our defenders at the end. I just came out and threw my hands out there. Somehow I got a goal kick. I’m glad to have made the save because you never know what is going to happen in overtime. We didn’t want to come out with another tie. It was really nice to get a win,” Fraine said.

Florida, frustrated with its slow start in SEC play, was happy to get one in the win column. The Gators fell behind early in both of their losses at Georgia (2-1) and at Tennessee (2-0) last weekend, so scoring first today was a key.

“It’s three points.  You have to start somewhere but that was our first win in the SEC.  We just have to keep building off of this, one game at a time.  To get three points today was super important and that’s what happened,” UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh said. “We’ve been chasing goals and that’s been a little bit of a problem of ours so to get a shutout today and to get the first goal was big for us and I think it’s a big confidence builder.”

Next up, the Gators head to the Magnolia State for two road matches versus SEC Western Division rivals. Florida opens the weekend at Mississippi on Friday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. (ET). Then UF meet Mississippi State on Sunday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. (ET) in a match that will be televised live on FSN Florida (Cox cable channel 70 in Gainesville/Ocala). Both matches can be heard live on WRUF-AM 850.