NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Kentucky women’s soccer team (6-5-1, 2-2-1 SEC) fell to No. 3 Vanderbilt (11-0-1, 4-0-1 SEC), 2-0, on Friday, Oct. 2 in Nashville, Tenn. The Wildcats moved to a conference record of 2-2-1.
Vanderbilt’s leading scorer, Sydney Watts, earned a shot on goal in the fifth minute, but goalkeeper Megan Holland secured the save. Ultimately, the Commodores found the back of the net first with Watts striking in the 15th minute and bringing the score to 1-0.
Two-time SEC Freshman of the Week Kyla Dawn recorded Kentucky’s sole shot on goal in the 23rd minute. In the 42nd minute, sophomore Alexa Pino got a good look, narrowly hitting the post.
Despite Vanderbilt outshooting the Cats 13-5 in the first half, Holland recorded four saves to prevent the Commodores from furthering their advantage.
In the second half, Vanderbilt continued to shoot at a high rate, outshooting Kentucky 10-1. In the final minute, the Commodores’ Megan Hinnenkamp charged the box, kicking a left-footed shot into the bottom of the goal and making the final score 2-0.
Holland ended the night with five saves while Vanderbilt’s goalkeeper Alexa Gianoplus recorded one. The Commodores held the 6-4 edge in corner kicks.
Up next, Kentucky will return home to play the Texas Longhorns on Friday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. ET, at the Bell Soccer Complex. The match will be themed as Pink Out in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and will be available to stream on SEC Network +.
Admission to all 2026 Kentucky Soccer regular season home matches will be free to the public. For the latest on UK Women’s Soccer, follow the Wildcats on Facebook, Instagram, X and at UKathletics.com.
