Women’s Soccer Defeats No. 25 Texas in Last-Minute Thriller, 3-2

LEXINGTON, Ky.  – The Kentucky women’s soccer team (7-5-1, 3-2-1 SEC) defeated No. 25 Texas (7-3-3, 2-2-2 SEC), 3-2, on Friday, Oct. 9 at the Bell Soccer Complex. The Wildcats advance to a 3-2-1 record in conference play.

The Longhorns hit their offensive stride quickly with Amalia Villarreal finding the back of the net in the eighth minute. In the 28th minute, Audrey Bryant scored off a feed from Villarreal and Ava McDonald, giving Texas the 2-0 advantage heading into the half.

Despite the Longhorns having the upper hand entering the next 45 minutes, the Wildcats came roaring back. Sophomore forward Rayna Powers recorded the first goal of her career in the 58th minute, placing a header in the net off an assist from freshman Elise Ernest.

Ernest continued to contribute, nabbing another header in the 65th minute thanks to a feed from junior defender Michelle Moskau. With Ernest’s equalizer, the two teams were neck and neck in the final minutes of the duel.

In the 89th minute, freshman Kyla Dawn pushed Kentucky ahead with an unassisted strike into the bottom of the net. The Wildcats held the single-goal advantage until time expired. 

The last-minute strike marked Dawn’s 10th goal of her debut season, tying her for fourth all-time at Kentucky for goals in a single season by a freshman. The Dallas native now also has four game-winning goals, tying her for the most game-winning goals by a freshman in program history.

This is Kentucky’s first victory over Texas, bringing the all-time series record to 1-2-0. Tonight’s win was the Wildcats’ first victory versus a ranked opponent since Oct. 16, 2025, when Kentucky defeated No. 8 South Carolina.

The Wildcats claim three more points in the SEC standings, moving into fifth place (tied with Mississippi State) with 10 points.

Up next, Kentucky will travel to Auburn, Ala. to face the Auburn Tigers on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The match 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.