Wildcats Draw No. 17 Georgia, Eliminated in Penalty Shootout at SEC Tournament
PENSACOLA, Fla. – (6) Kentucky (12-4-4, 5-2-3 SEC) played (3) No. 17 Georgia (10-3-6, 6-1-3 SEC) to a 1-1 draw in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Southeastern Conference Soccer Tournament, but the Wildcats were ultimately eliminated via a 5-4 penalty shootout loss.
Georgia opened the match as the aggressor, forcing defender Katherine Truitt to make a goal-line kick save in the third minute. The Bulldogs looked to take a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute, but a goal was disallowed via VAR for an offsides violation.
From this point, the Wildcats settled into the match and started to dominate possession. However, neither side was able to scratch across the opening goal.
Kentucky continued this trend to start the second half, with Catherine Rapp scoring her second goal of the tournament in the 54th minute to give the Wildcats the lead. Off a throw in, Thalia Morisi found Grace Hoytink in the middle of the attacking third, allowing the All-SEC Second Team member to lay off a ball to Rapp on a perfectly timed run. Rapp was able to blow by all Georgia defenders and blast home the opening goal for the second match in a row.
The Wildcats were able to hold their advantage for nearly 20 minutes, with freshman goalkeeper Megan Holland picking up a crucial save in the 71st minute. However, All-SEC First Team midfielder Summer Denigan created some magic on her own, receiving the ball on the left wing in the 75th minute, beating one defender, and curling in a shot from distance into the upper 90 to tie the match. This would be the last Bulldog shot on goal of the contest.
Kentucky would return to dominating the ball, nearly finding the winner on multiple occasions at towards the end of regulation. The match would go to overtime, where Kentucky was again on the front foot. Forcing a save and seeing multiple shots narrowly miss the frame, the Wildcats applied pressure for much of the twenty minutes of extra time.
However, the match would end in a tie and a penalty shootout was necessary to decide which team advanced to Thursday’s semifinal. Freshman Gabi Poretto saw her opening attempt go wide right, but Anna Sikorski, Sydni Fink, and Kendall Campbell were all able to convert to keep Kentucky in the shootout. With Georgia converting their first four attempts, Holland made a clutch save in the fifth window to keep her team alive. Grace Hoytink followed up with a clinical finish to even the shootout at four and force a sudden-death round. The Bulldogs were able to convert but Skye Leach saw her attempt saved, allowing Georgia to secure a 5-4 shootout win and advancement in the tournament.
Kentucky will await its NCAA Tournament fate until the Selection Show, scheduled for Monday, November 10 at 4 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
