The University of Kentucky women?s soccer team defeated Arkansas today, Sept. 25, in a thriller as senior Courtney McCrudden scored with 24 seconds remaining to lift the Wildcats to a 2-1 Southeastern Conference win. The Cats move to 5-0-5 on the year and 1-0-1 in the SEC, while UA falls to 3-6 overall with an 0-2 mark in conference play.

The win is the 150th career victory for UK head coach Warren Lipka who was not with the team due to the recent passing of his mother. Lipka is now 150-107-19 in his 14th season at the helm.

?We were elated when we scored that last goal,? said assistant coach Jerrod Roh. ??To the credit of the girls, they had the strength, will and desire to fight on and get the win today.

“Our thoughts and prayers were with Coach Lipka and his family and we were thrilled to get the win for him,” added Roh.

The Wildcats remain the only undefeated team in the SEC and have played 10 consecutive games without a loss, the second-longest streak in school history.

After a scoreless first half, the Cats took a 1-0 lead when Sarah Gaunt scored her fourth goal of the season during the 55th minute as she beat the Razorback keeper to find the back of the net.

Arkansas battled back late in the second half and tied the game at 1-1 during the 87th minute when Megan McCool scored on a pass from Katie Stauffer that got past UK goalkeeper Anne Ogundele.

The Wildcats seemed headed to their sixth overtime contest of the year until Nicola Holdsworth and Callie Lanphier combined to send the ball in front of the goal where McCrudden sent it into the goal to give Kentucky the dramatic 2-1 win.

UK outshot the AU 16-8 and has now outscored its opponents 16-5 in the second half as 16 of UK?s 23 goals have come in the final period of regulation.

The Wildcats return to action Friday, Sept. 30, as they travel to Alabama for their first SEC road match of the season. Game time is set for 7 p.m. in Tuscaloosa.