Oct. 25, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky women’s soccer senior Jenna Goblirsch will not return for her final year of eligibility after suffering a season-ending knee injury during the first training session of preseason, head coach Jon Lipsitz announced.
Goblirsch did receive a spot start on Sunday against Ole Miss when UK was celebrating Senior Day. She received the initial touch on kickoff to start the game and was then substituted out.
The Elizabethtown, Ky. native had a prolific career at UK, playing over 4,000 minutes in her career while tallying six goals, five assists, and two game-winning goals. Her junior year was cut short when she suffered a season-ending knee injury halfway through the season.
“When I arrived in Lexington three years ago, there were some critical changes we needed to make to the UK Women’s Soccer culture, both on the field and off,” Lipsitz said. “Jenna was the leader in adopting new ways and trusting the new process. She took every detail, to the smallest nuance, and tried to perfect them individually and then share this with the team. Quite simply, we would not be so successful today without Jenna’s work over the past three years.”
“Playing soccer here at UK has been an incredible experience for me, and I have been so blessed to be a part of a program that is so special while being surrounded by such great, influential people,” Goblirsch said. “My four years here have truly shaped me into who I am and I am so lucky to have been involved. I never imagined my career would end as prematurely as it did, and because soccer has always been such a big part of my life, it has been a tough transition. But, the group of people that surrounds me has been so supportive and positive that I can’t thank them enough. Hopefully, I am able to take what I have learned from this experience playing here and the things I have learned from the relationships, and people I have met along the way, and apply it to my future plans.”
Her freshman year, Goblirsch wasted no time getting acquainted with the field, starting all 19 matches played in 2008. She also assisted on the game-winning goal to beat Auburn in Southeastern Conference play.
Goblirsch started every match during her sophomore season, logging 90 minutes in 17 times during the season. During her sophomore campaign, Goblirsch also scored the game-winning goal against Cincinnati in the season opener.
In 2010, she netted the game-tying goal against No. 15 Virginia Tech, scoring the sixth goal in her career. She also played the full compliment of 90 minutes six times, including a stretch of five straight games.
Goblirsch was named Academic All-SEC in 2009 as well as 2010 and was selected a team captain prior to the start of this season.
