No. 24 Georgia Opens SEC Play Friday at Texas A&M

#24/NR Georgia (4-2-2, 0-0-0 SEC) at Texas A&M (3-1-3, 0-0-0 SEC)
Date: Friday, Sept. 12
Time: 8:30 p.m. EDT / 7:30 p.m. CDT
Location: Bryan-College Station, Texas
Site: Ellis Field (3,500)

MEDIA INFORMATION
Stream: SEC Network+ (David Ellis, PxP / Jeff Givens, Analyst)
Live Stats: Sidearm Sports
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: Texas A&M leads 7-4-0
In Athens: Texas A&M leads 2-1-0
In Bryan-College Station: Texas A&M leads 4-1-0
Neutral: Georgia leads 2-1-0
Last Meeting: UGA – W, 1-0 (Nov. 3, 2024 – SEC Tournament, Pensacola, Fla.)
Current Streak: UGA, W3
GF / GA: 12 / 18

QUICK KICKS
Raising the Curtain
No. 24 Georgia opens its 31st season of Southeastern Conference play Friday evening at Texas A&M. The Bulldogs hold a 13-14-3 all-time record in SEC openers but have not prevailed since a 3-2 win against Texas A&M in 2022. Under head coach Keidane McAlpine, Georgia is 2-0-1 in conference road openers, following a 1-0 win at Vanderbilt last season. Entering Friday's match, the Bulldogs are looking to snap a three-match winless streak and pick up their first road victory of the season.

Texas A&M begins conference action at 3-1-3, having just dropped its first contest of the season at No. 4 TCU, 2-1, on Sunday night. Junior Leah Diaz leads the Aggies with 10 points (3 goals, 4 assists), while teammates Trinity Buchanan and Kaylee Noble have both tallied three goals and two assists apiece.

Familiar Faces
In the three years of the McAlpine era, Georgia and Texas A&M have developed a pattern of dramatic matchups. In 2022, the Bulldogs outlasted the Aggies, 3-2, in McAlpine's first SEC match. Then-freshman Cate Hardin scored her lone career goal with a booming 25-yard strike, followed by two scores from Dasia Torbert in the finest performance of her Georgia career. The two sides have subsequently met in the past two SEC Tournaments, beginning with a double overtime thriller in the 2023 semifinals, capped off Croix Bethune's winner with 27 seconds remaining. Last season, Torbert's first half goal proved to be the difference in a 1-0 Georgia win in the SEC Tournament First Round.

Summer, Summer, Summertime
Redshirt junior midfielder Summer Denigan has asserted herself as one of the nation's top players in the early going of the 2025 season. Through eight matches, Denigan
has tallied six goals (ranked 11th nationally and third in the SEC) and an assist, including a tie for the national lead four match-winning goals. In the Georgia record books, Denigan ranks fifth in winners with 10 in her career. Meanwhile, her six goals in non-conference play mark the most for a Bulldog since Mollie Belisle scored 10 in the 2021 slate. Following a seven-point week against No. 12 North Carolina and Michigan in August, Denigan was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career, followed by placements on TopDrawerSoccer's National Team of the Week and National Player of the Year Leaderboard.

Tie-ger Town
Georgia closed out its non-conference schedule with a 1-1 tie at Clemson Sunday evening, the third-consecutive 1-1 draw between the nearby rivals. After surrendering an early goal for the third straight match, the Bulldogs quickly responded as an unassisted Summer Denigan struck from 20 yards out in the ninth minute for her sixth goal of the season. The Tigers defense held the Bulldog attack in check, limiting UGA to season lows in shots (6) and shots on goal (2), with the only additional shot on frame coming from Hailey Gordon in the 55th minute. Keeper Hannah Folliard posted four saves, the second most of her young career, while joining teammates Denigan, Maddy Herniter, and Kiera Staude in playing a full 90 minutes.

Dawg Bites

Georgia-Texas A&M marks the first Friday fixture of the season, a night that has proven to be advantageous for the Bulldogs. Under McAlpine, the Bulldogs are 8-1 in Friday matches, with last season's 3-2 loss to Colorado in the NCAA First Round serving as the lone blemish.
Georgia is one of only four P4 programs to feature two 17-year-old players: goalkeeper Hannah Folliard and forward Ava Stack. Folliard has tallied 16 saves in four shutouts in eight starts, while Stack scored for the first time against North Florida and has appeared in all eight matches
Under Keidane McAlpine, Georgia has continued to raise the program's profile and achieve new heights of success, highlighted by the 2023 SEC Tournament championship and NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. The Bulldogs have won SEC Tournament matches for three straight seasons for the first time in program history and hosted NCAA First Round matches in three straight years for the first time. The Bulldogs have also finished unbeaten on the road in SEC play in both 2022 and 2024.
The Bulldogs' increased success has expanded the recruiting footprint of the program, resulting in a roster full of geographic diversity in 2025. This season's team features players from 13 different states and three nations, the largest number of states represented in program history. The Dawgs still feature 11 players from Georgia, one of the country's deepest talent pools.

Up Next
No. 24 Georgia returns home to the Turner Soccer Complex to face Kentucky on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free for all fans, and the match will stream live on SEC Network+.

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Players Mentioned

Summer Denigan

Summer Denigan

Hannah Folliard

Hailey Gordon

Hailey Gordon

Cate Hardin

Cate Hardin

Maddy Herniter

Maddy Herniter

Ava Stack

Kiera Staude

Kiera Staude

Dasia Torbert

Dasia Torbert