Georgia Faces No. 6 Arkansas in Battle of Division Leaders

RV Georgia (6-2-3, 2-1-1 SEC) at No. 6 Arkansas (8-2-1, 4-0-0 SEC)
Date: Thursday, Oct. 5
Time: 7 p.m. EDT
Location: Fayetteville, Ark.
Site: Razorback Field (1,500)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Live Stream: SEC Network+ (Brett Dolan, PxP / Kelly Roliard, Analyst)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
X: @UGASoccer
Instagram: @UGASoccer

Social Media: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Georgia leads, 12-5-5
In Athens: Georgia leads, 5-3-2
In Fayetteville: Georgia leads, 7-1-2
Neutral: Arkansas leads, 1-0-1
Last Meeting: Arkansas – W, 4-1 (Oct. 3, 2021)
Current Streak: L1
GF / GA: 46 / 26

QUICK KICKS
Dogs vs. Hogs
Two of the SEC's top squads face off as Georgia travels to take on No. 6 Arkansas in Fayetteville Thursday. Both teams lead their respective SEC divisions and rank in the top 14 of the current NCAA RPI rankings. This is the first meeting between the programs since Arkansas defeated Georgia, 4-1, on Oct. 3, 2021 in Athens. In that match, the Razorbacks scored three times in the first eight minutes of play en route to a blowout victory. The Bulldogs tied the Razorbacks, 1-1, in their last meeting in Fayetteville in 2019. In its last outing, Arkansas bested Missouri, 1-0, last Thursday in Columbia.

Top 10 Opportunity
Thursday's match marks Georgia's fourth matchup this season against a top-10 opponent, following previous contests against No. 1 UCLA, No. 9 Clemson, and No. 7 Alabama (0-1-2 record in matches). The ties against Clemson and Alabama marked the first time in program history Georgia earned a result in consecutive top-10 meetings. The four top-10 opponents ties the same number as last season - the program record for most in a season is five (2008). In program history, the Bulldogs are 8-54-4 against top-10 teams, with the most recent win coming in a 2-1 overtime victory over No. 5 LSU in 2021.

Shutting the Dore
Georgia won its second-consecutive match with a 2-1 result against Vanderbilt last Friday at Turner, the first win over the Commodores since 2015. In the 19th minute, redshirt senior Nicole Vernis used a deflected shot to score from 16 yards out. For Vernis, it was her fifth-consecutive match with a point, becoming only the eighth player in program history to reach the feat; Vernis has tallied a point in seven of the last eight outings. Later, graduate Croix Bethune found redshirt freshman Summer Denigan for the second goal of the night. While Vandy scored a late goal, the Bulldogs' defense held firm to secure the win despite facing a season-high 15 shots.

Dawg Bites

Georgia remained unranked in this week's United Soccer Coaches and Top Drawer Soccer polls. In the NCAA RPI rankings, Georgia held at No. 14 and ranks fourth among SEC schools. Eight past and future 2023 opponents currently rank in the top 40.
The tandem of Nicole Vernis and Summer Denigan has scored in two straight matches, the first Georgia duo to perform the feat since Mollie Belisle and Dani Murguia scored against Mississippi State and LSU in September 2021.
Junior defender Jessie Dunn remains the iron woman among Georgia field players, tallying 90 minutes in nine matches this season. Dunn has played a full 90 in 17 of her last 20 matches.
Through 11 matches, 11 different Bulldogs have scored a goal. Last year, the team tied a program record with 16 different scorers.
Goalkeeper Jordan Brown has now entered the program's top 10 in saves, shutouts, starts, and minutes, while currently holding the lowest goals against average in program history (0.82).
The Bulldogs have made great use of its talented freshman class with first-year players combining for 23 starts through the first 10 matches, on pace to top the 33 started by freshmen in 2022. With forward Jocelyn Chinea making her debut against Missouri, nine of the eleven freshmen have seen the field this season.
Graduate midfielder Mallie McKenzie is now ranked fifth in program history with 20 assists. She also ranks seventh all-time in appearances with 86 matches, putting her on pace to break Abby Boyan's program record of 93.

Up Next
Georgia returns home to face rival Florida on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m. at Turner Soccer Complex. The annual Pink Out match will air live on ESPNU.

Georgia Faces No. 6 Arkansas in Battle of Division Leaders

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Players Mentioned

Croix Bethune

Abby Boyan

Jordan Brown

Jocelyn Chinea

Summer Denigan

Jessie Dunn

Mallie McKenzie

Dani Murguia

Nicole Vernis