Wildcats Travel to Baton Rouge for Penultimate SEC Contest
BATON ROUGE, La. – Fresh off a 3-2 upset over No. 8 South Carolina, Kentucky (10-4-2, 4-2-2 SEC) will head south to face (rv) LSU (9-5-2, 4-2-2 SEC) on Sunday, October 19 at 2 p.m. ET. The match from LSU Soccer Stadium in Baton Rouge will be streamed live on SEC Network +.
With its win over the Gamecocks on Thursday night, Kentucky cliched its spot in the SEC Tournament for the third season in a row. The upset over the nation’s eighth-ranked squad also marked the third consecutive season in which a Troy Fabiano-led Kentucky squad has defeated a top ten team—joining victories over No. 9 Alabama in 2023 and No. 9 UCLA in 2024.
In Thursday’s win, sophomore Kendall Campbell made her first start of the season and scored her first goal at Kentucky in the ninth minute. Senior Thalia Morisi added a second goal in the 14th minute, and freshman Gabi Poretto drained a penalty kick in the 32nd minute to help the Cats achieve their highest goal total in an SEC match this year. Poretto’s goal proved to the game-winner, helping the Lithia, Fla. native tie the Kentucky freshman record for game-winning goals in a season at four.
Kentucky held the Gamecocks to a season-low four shots on Thursday, marking the eighth time this season the Cats have held an opponent to five shots or fewer. The Wildcats lead the SEC with only five shots conceded this season. Kentucky also leads the country in corner kicks per game with 8.75 attempts per match and penalty kicks drawn with 12.
The Wildcats are seeking their first road victory of the season in Baton Rouge, playing only their fourth match of the campaign away from home. Kentucky is 0-1-2 in road matches this season, but is undefeated in its last two via 1-1 draws at Florida and at Ole Miss. Kentucky is also playing an opponent in the receiving votes category of the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll for the first time; the Wildcats are 3-3 against top 25 teams this season.
LSU and Kentucky enter the contest tied for sixth in the Southeastern Conference table with 14 points and identical 4-2-2 records. The Tigers are in the midst of their best run of form this season, undefeated in their last five matches with a 4-0-1 record in that stretch.
Kentucky leads the all-time series between the teams, 14-7-3, including a positive 6-5 mark in matches played in Baton Rouge. The Cats and Tigers have met in each of Fabiano’s previous three seasons, with Kentucky going 1-1-1 in that stretch. The one tie came in the 2023 SEC Tournament where the Cats advanced via a penalty shootout; Kentucky won the most recent meeting with a 2-1 victory in Lexington last season.
The Wildcats will close the regular season on the road next Sunday, traveling to the Lone Star State to face Texas A&M on Sunday, October 26. The decision day clash from Ellis Field in College Station will kick off at 5 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.
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