Date	Opponent	Score	Win/Loss	Florida Goal Scorers
9/15/08	UCF	4-0	W	Josh Bransdorfer, Alex Harrell, Taylor Moore, Matt Mobley
The University of Florida kicked off their season with a game at UCF. The match was a tune-up for the Florida Fall Invitational running from September 19-21 in Gainesville, FL. UF got off to a quick start with a goal by Josh Brandsdorfer within the game’s first 5 minutes. From there the match was relatively even with UF missing some golden opportunities to extend the lead. In the 2nd half, Florida finally got the breakthrough goal it needed to put the game away. Taylor Moore scored a great goal and Alex Harrell contributed another to the tally minutes later. At that point the game was well in hand and in the final 10 minutes Matt Mobley scored on a PK to secure an opening game win for the Gators.
9/14/08
The 1st week of Region II Soccer rankings has come out and the Gators (1-0-0) sit in the #8 position. While this might be a bit low to start, things are just getting started and the team has a great chance to boost that ranking in the Florida Fall Invitational this coming weekend.
Florida Fall Invitational
9/19/08	Miami	1-0	W	Taylor Moore
In the 1st game of the Florida Fall Invitational the Gators faced a tough matchup with the University of Miami. Early on, Florida controlled the tempo, but couldn’t find the back of the net. With only minutes remaining in the half, a mishap by the UM goalie allowed Taylor Moore to capitalize with his 2nd goal of the season. With Florida up 1-0, the Miami goalie made several incredible saves to keep the Miami deficit to only 1 goal. Florida’s defense stepped up after some sloppy play early in the 2nd half and the team was able to escape with a 1-0 victory.
9/20/08	SPC	9-1	W	Nate Walker, Steve Reid 2x, Tyler Bowes, Alex Oliveira, Taylor Moore, T.C. Linkfield, Buddy Wilks, Dami Phillips
The Gators 2nd game of the Invitational was against St. Petersburg College. Going into the game the Gators had no previous knowledge of their opponent, so they had to come out with some fire. Shortly after the opening whistle, Florida took advantage of their chances. Steve Reid and Nate Walker each scored brilliant goals and Florida controlled possession almost all half. This game turned out to be a great chance to get some of the new players into the game and increase their confidence level for the rest of the season. In all, the Gators scored 9 goals from an array of players and many others were able to get on the stat sheet as well. All that was left between the Gators and the #1 seed was Clemson Orange.
9/20/08	Clemson Orange	2-1	W	Ibe Isa, Steve Reid
In what would turn out to be the toughest game of group play, UF took on Clemson Orange. Each team was vying for the top overall seed going into the playoffs. With a win, UF could claim that spot and cruise into the semi-finals. The game was a tough one all-around. With the Gators controlling most of the play, but not capitalizing on some great opportunities, Clemson was able to tally a goal against the run of play. One of Clemson’s forwards hit a solid shot off a corner kick to put the Tigers ahead 1-0. The Gators went into halftime down 1-0. Some encouraging words from Coach Sheldon Cipriani got the Gators to play more inspired in the 2nd half. Ibe Isa provided a great deal of that intensity and caused havoc for Clemson’s defense. Nearly 10 minutes into the 2nd half an amazing 70 yard run by Allen McIntyre was capped off by Ibe’s first goal of the season to tie the match 1-1. About five minutes later, Steve Reid was one on one with the Tigers center-back. With a stutter-step move Reid leave the defender behind and deposited a well-timed strike into the left corner for a 2-1 Gator lead. Some great defending by Tom Kennedy, Matt Stewart, and Dami Phillips capped off a great 2nd half performance and left Florida sitting in a great position for Sunday’s semi-final match.
Semi Final
9/21/08	Clemson White	5-1	W	Taylor Moore, Buddy Wilks, Tyler Bowes, Alex Oliveira, Alex Harrell
With some of the bigger names in Region 2 crashing out of the tournament, the semi-finals were set with 3 Florida teams and Clemson White. From the get-go against Clemson White, UF showed they still had fresh legs. An early steal by Taylor Moore in the opening minutes got the Gators an immediate lead 1-0. From there the Gators continued to score at a torrid pace with some great finishes by Buddy Wilks, Alex Oliveira, Tyler Bowes, and Alex Harrell. When the final whistle blew it was the Gators back to the finals for the 4th consecutive year with a resounding 5-1 victory.
Final
9/21/08	FSU	2-0	W	Taylor Moore 2x
The Gators met a familiar foe in the finals of the 2008 Florida Fall Invitational. For the 3rd consecutive year UF-FSU was the matchup to decide the winner and recipient of the Gold Florida Fall Invitational Champions Cup. This final would give an edge in the series (UF won 1-0 in 2006, FSU won on PKs 8-7 in 2007) and also give the winner a leg up in the Region 2 rankings. Early on both teams looked tired from all the games that had been played throughout the weekend. Florida missed some great early chances to take the lead and then with 15 minutes left in the first half Taylor Moore scored his 5th goal of the season after some quick moves and a great through ball from Steve Reid. Shortly before the half a cross was played into the box and Taylor Moore was in the right place at the right time and gave the Gators a 2-0 lead at halftime. In the 2nd half, the Gator defense stepped up once again and FSU’s chances were very limited. UF goalie Patrick Dube came up big on a number of occasions and kept the Seminoles scoreless all day. When the final whistle blew it was the University of Florida Gators standing tall as champions once again.
Florida Fall Invitational Champions!!!
9/21/08
The 2nd week of Region II Rankings has just been released and UF (6-0-0) has moved up to the #1 ranking in the region. Florida St. sits at #2 with UNC in the #3 slot. Georgia rounds out the top 4. This can be attributed to the Gators strong performance in the Florida Fall Invitational. So far the Gators have outscored opponents 23-3.
9/28/08
The 3rd week of Region II Rankings has just been released and UF (6-0-0) continues to hold onto the #1 ranking. The top 4 slots remained unchanged. UF has a match upcoming on Friday October 3 at 7pm @ Home vs UCF.
10/03/08	UCF	3-0	W	Buddy Wilks, Tyler Bowes, Josh Bransdorfer
The Gators continued their charge toward Clemson with a match Friday night vs UCF at the Southwest Fields. Early on UF played some of their best soccer of the early season and it led to several goal scoring opportunities. Finally UF was able to breakthrough after some great one touch passing, and it ended with a cross from Allen McIntyre and Buddy Wilks blasted the ensuing volley side-netting. About 20 minutes later Tyler Bowes took advantage of a great pass from Nate Walker and the Gators went into halftime up 2-0. There were a number of great opportunities to add to the lead early in the 2nd half, yet the UCF goalkeeper made some timely saves. Josh Brandsdorfer notched a goal midway through the second half to seal the victory for Florida. The Gators are now 7-0-0 as they head into the Clemson Soctoberfest October 10-12.
10/5/08
Week #4 of Region II Rankings has been released and the Gators remain #1 for the 3rd consecutive week. With a 7-0-0 record, Florida has been working very hard in practice in preparation for Clemson this coming weekend. A slate of Mississippi State, FSU, and Kentucky will not provide an easy road, but the team has been playing very well and hopes to continue their winning ways in Clemson, SC this weekend.
Clemson Soctoberfest
10/11/08	Miss. State	3-0	W	Taylor Moore, Joey Ijjas, Ibe Isa
The Gators did not receive a Friday night match, so they began the Clemson Soctoberfest at 8:00am vs Mississippi State. UF established the tempo early and it led to an early goal from Taylor Moore. Though they had many good chances to score, Florida went into halftime up only 1-0. Much of the same occurred early on in the 2nd half until the Gators finally extended the lead of a corner kick. Buddy Wilks played a great ball into the box and Joey Ijjas went above everyone and buried the header into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead. Off the ensuing kickoff, Ibe Isa was able to scrap his way through the defense and past the goalie to tap in another insurance goal and seal an opening 3-0 victory for UF.
10/11/08	FSU	1-0	W	Taylor Moore
The Gators faced a familiar foe in their second match of the day, Florida State. Looking to get back at UF for winning the Florida Fall Invitational, the game was intense from the very beginning. A few yellow cards were given by the referee to establish a precedent, but it was Taylor Moore and the Gators who took the lead 15 minutes in. A great through ball from Steve Reid sent Moore in 1-on-1 with the goalie. A quick cut left and a tap into an empty net helped Florida start the game off on the right foot. Though there were several outstanding chances in the rest of the game, UF couldn’t seem to extend the lead. Some great play in the midfield by Chance Coulter, Shuji Fujimaru, and TC Linkfield coupled with the outstanding defense stood up to the challenge and got the 1-0 victory.
10/11/08	Kentucky	4-0	W	Joey Ijjas, Nate Walker, Ibe Isa, TC Linkfield
The University of Kentucky was up next and the Gators knew if they would win the game they were all but likely guarantee themselves a bye straight into one of Sunday’s semi-final matches. Play was sloppy early in the first half, but Patrick Dube and the Gator defense were able to keep the Wildcats scoreless. Then off a corner, Joey Ijjas was somehow able to knock the ball into the back of the net and give the Gators a 1-0 lead. The goal was exactly what UF needed, as the seemed to relax and move the ball a lot better with the one goal cushion. It wasn’t until the second half and a terrific display of moves from Nate Walker that UF was able to claim a 2 goal advantage. Ibe Isa notched another goal to his season tally and TC Linkfield bent a free kick in nicely for a 4-0 victory.
Semi Final
10/12/08	Clemson	4-0	W	Nate Walker 2x, Ibe Isa, David Blanco
Florida faced the same team in the semi-finals of the Clemson Soctoberfest as they did in the semi-finals of the Florida Fall Invitational, Clemson. Just like the last time, UF came out with a ton of energy and put the game away in the first 20 minutes of the match. Ibe Isa scored first, and some nifty footwork by Nate Walker doubled the lead 15 minutes in. Nate Walker scored again a few minutes later and David Blanco sealed the deal a few minutes before halftime. The Gators did their best in the 2nd half to preserve the shutout and cruised into the finals with a 4-0 victory to move their season record to 11-0-0.
Final
10/12/08	NC State	1-1 (PKs- 4-1)	W	Ibe Isa
Back in the finals for the 2nd tournament in a row, Florida knew they faced a stiff challenge in a very good NC State team. The game was even early on, but about 20 minutes in Steve Reid hit a great free kick onto goal. The goalie couldn’t handle the shot cleanly and Ibe Isa was there to knock in the rebound for his 4th goal of the weekend and give UF a 1-0 lead. NC State tested Florida’s back line all afternoon with long balls, but the back four of Tom Kennedy, Dami Phillips, Matt Stewart, and Kyle Marshall stood tall and won almost everything in the air. UF could feel the championship within grasp, but with only seconds left a miscommunication enabled the NC State forward to slip past on a long ball and score the game tying goal. Florida was devastated, as this was the first goal given up all tournament. Coach Ciprani got the players to regroup and prepare for a 10 minute goal goal session. Some great chances occurred and UF almost scored the winning goal, however it was not enough as the referee blew the final whistle. Penalty kicks would decide the tournament. In recent years, Florida has not had very much success with PK shootouts. However, recent work in practice on penalties may have been the difference. 1st up for UF was Chance Coulter, who calmly faked out the goalie and deposited the first goal for Florida. NC State 1st kick: Goal 2nd up for UF was Kyle Marshall, who again placed a low shot into the right corner. NC State 2nd kick: SAVE by Patrick Dube 3rd up for UF was Buddy Wilks, who blasted a shot into the right corner. NC State 3rd kick: Great SAVE by Patrick Dube 4th up for UF was Nate Walker, who went upper 90 and scored. UF wins on PKs (4-1) Gators WIN THE CLEMSON SOCTOBERFEST 2008
Clemson Soctoberfest Champions !!!
Regionals (Georgia Southern University)
10/31/08	East Carolina	4-0	W	Steve Reid, Taylor Moore 2X, Nate Walker,
11/1/08	FSU	1-0	W	Own goal
11/1/08	Duke	3-0	W	Tyler Bowes, Alex Harrell, Buddy Wilks
Quarter Final
11/1/08	Tennessee	3-0	W	Steve Reid, Lester Weaver, Joey Ijjas
Semi Final
11/2/08	UVA	2-1	W	Taylor Moore 2X
Final
11/2/08	UNC	0-1	L
UF received a bid the the championship division at nationals on November 20-22 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama!!!
Nationals (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
11/20/08	Johns Hopkins	1-1	T	Matt Stewart
11/20/08	Indiana	1-1	T	Nate Walker
Round of 16
11/21/08	Texas St.	2-2 (4-2 PKs)	W	Taylor Moore, Chance Coulter
Final 8
11/21/08	USC (Cali.)	0-1	L
UF ends its season with a 18-2-2 record and ranks in the top 8 nationally for the 1st time. Thanks to Sheldon Cipriani for all of his efforts throughout the year. Another thanks to all the alumni who stayed up to date on our progress and cheered us along all season long. Good luck seniors and hope to see everyone for the Spring Season.