The Kentucky women?s soccer team (7-5-2, 2-2-1) looks to continue the momentum of a three-match unbeaten streak as they hit the road again in the SEC and travel to 11th ranked Tennessee and Georgia.
The Wildcats have recorded three shutouts in their last three matches, posting a 2-0-1 record, defeating Alabama (3-0), then 29th ranked South Carolina (1-0) and tied then 16th ranked Florida (0-0).
?We need to, as a group, continue our progress going forward,? said head coach Warren Lipka. ?We?ve been focusing on certain parts of the game and working hard at them. The girls have responded very well, and they?ve done a good job fixing those parts. Now it?s a matter of competing each time out to put us in a position to get a positive result.?
Kentucky?s match against Tennessee marks the second straight contest that UK has faced a Top 20 program having tied the 16th ranked Gators on Sunday. The Lady Vols (7-3-3, 3-1-2), ranked 11th (Soccer America), come into the match on a three-game winning streak and a four-game unbeaten streak.
Tennessee leads the all-time series between the two schools 8-5-0 including a 3-2-0 record in Knoxville. UT is lead by Kylee Rossi who has tallied a team high 10 points on four goals and two assists.
?Tennessee is a proven program year in and year out, SEC champions, SEC tournament champions; they?re deserving of their high ranking,? said Lipka.
Following the Friday night tussle in Knoxville, the Cats will head further south to take on the Georgia Bulldogs (7-6-0, 2-4-0), a program that Lipka feels is a team lying in wait despite a slow start to the league schedule.
?Georgia is a very, very good team and just hasn?t got their breaks in certain games,? said Lipka. ?They?re a quality opponent that I feel pretty confident you?ll probably see down in Orange Beach (Alabama) at the end of the year (at the SEC Tournament).?
Georgia is led by Carrie Patterson who has tallied a team best 18 points, second best in the conference. Her seven goals and four assists are also tops on the team. The Bulldogs hold a 6-4-2 advantage over the Wildcats, including a 3-1-0 mark in Athens.
The Wildcats are led offensively by freshman Giuleana Lopez who leads the team in points (17) and goals (7). Junior Megan Jones has a team high five assists.
Defensively, the Wildcats? anchor is senior goalie Anne Ogundele who ranks first in the league in shutouts (8) and third in goals-against-average (0.61).
Kentucky and Tennessee are scheduled to kickoff Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET while the Cats and the Dogs are set for a 1:00 p.m. ET match on Sunday. Live stats for both matches are available at www.ukathletics.com.
