Kentucky women’s soccer (7-5-0, 0-4-0 SEC) fell one goal short in a road matchup with the LSU Tigers (8-2-2, 3-1-0 SEC) on Sunday afternoon as the Cats were defeated, 3-2, at LSU Soccer Stadium.
Jordyn Rhodes and Úlfa Úlfarsdóttir registered their sixth and fifth goals of the season respectively, but the two tallies were ultimately not enough to overcome the home side.
Kentucky took the initial advantage in the 25th minute off the Cats’ first corner of the match. Hannah Richardson curled a high ball into the box from the right corner which was headed by Rhodes over the top of the LSU keeper for the senior’s team-leading sixth goal of the season.
Just two minutes later, the Tigers leveled the score after a handball call in the box went against the Cats, resulting in a PK for LSU.
LSU took the lead for the first time in the 33rd minute off a goal from freshman Sage Glover with assists by Angelina Thompson and Mollie Baker. That 2-1 margin would stand as the whistle blew for halftime.
UK came out of the break with a quick equalizer, tying the score at two apiece in the 48th minute. Rafferty Kugler played a looping cross into the center of the box that was initially headed in the air by a Tiger defender. With the ball up for grabs, Úlfa Úlfarsdóttir snuck past her marker and directed a header of her own into the back of the net to tie the score for the Wildcats.
LSU retook the lead in the 58th minute on a goal from junior Mollie Baker, who chased down a loose ball in the offensive zone to score her fourth of the season.
Kentucky was unable to equalize once again, although the Cats came close when sophomore forward Emilie Rhode was taken down in the box with just over 10 minutes to play without a whistle from the referee.
Shots on goal for the match finished even at six apiece. Peyton Rimko and Taya Hjorth each made their first starts of the season for UK, with Rimko logging a full 90 minutes on the pitch.
Next up for the Cats is a date with Auburn this Thursday, Oct. 6 at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex. Match time is set for 7 p.m. and admission is free to all fans. The action will also air on SECN+.
For the latest on UK Women’s Soccer, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @UKWomensSoccer, on Facebook and on the web at UKathletics.com.
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For more information contact:
Greg Welsh
