Sep 5, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky women’s soccer team will be in search of its third consecutive win over Louisville on Friday night as the Wildcats and Cardinals renew their rivalry at 7:30 p.m. ET at the UK Soccer Complex.
“Obviously, this is an exciting week for us,” UK head coach Jon Lipsitz said. “This is a great rivalry and we have great respect for them and what they’ve accomplished the past few years. It was a tremendous game last year, and it has been a great game every year that I’ve been here.”
In 2012, Kentucky went on the road to Cardinal Park and scored two second half goals courtesy of Natalie Horner and Kelli Hubly en route to picking up the 2-0 shutout of the 12th-ranked Cardinals. In that contest, Kentucky goalkeeper Kayla King stopped a penalty in the 79th minute, when the Wildcats were up 1-0 to nurse the lead at the time. On the ensuing counter attack, Hubly scored the insurance goal in the 80th minute on a run from the far side to give UK the 2-0 lead, and the Wildcats hung on to preserve the shutout.
The revamped Kentucky starting 11 is one of the youngest in the country, with Lipsitz starting three freshmen (Alex Carter, Kaitlin Miller, Zoe Swift) and four sophomores (Kelli Hubly, Olivia Jester, Cara Ledman, Raetzman) in his starting lineup.
“Louisville is starting six or seven seniors right now. We’re starting two seniors and two juniors, so we’re very young,” Lipsitz said. “There are some things that are very exciting about that. This is what they came here for, is big games like this. We are looking forward to see how we react and looking forward to the game.”
Last weekend, Kentucky swept swept both of its opponents, claiming a 7-0 win on Friday night over Eastern Kentucky before going on the road and taking a 2-1 win at Toledo to up its record to 2-1-1 on the 2013 campaign.
Freshman Zoe Swift recorded the first hat trick for UK Soccer since the 2006 season when she struck for three goals and an assist on Friday night vs. EKU, for a seven-point game. For her play, Swift earned her first-career Southeastern Conference weekly honor, as she was named the SEC Freshman of the Week.
Stuart Pope also had a stellar weekend on the attack for Lipsitz’s side, as the junior from Fayetteville, Ga., scored three goals in the two matches, and added an additional assist for nine points in the matches. Pope was named the SEC Player of the Week by CollegeSoccerMadness.com.
Kentucky is 3-1-0 all-time against Louisville under Lipsitz, including two-straight wins.
UK Soccer Complex Game Day
Due to the ongoing construction of the $7.7 million renovations to the UK Soccer Complex, University of Kentucky soccer fans will experience some slight modifications to the game day experience during the 2013 season.
Tickets
All fans will be admitted into all games for the 2013 season for free for the duration of the season. Fans will also be allowed to re-enter the complex after initial entrance.
Seating
Seating will be all general admission for the season and seating will all be located behind the team benches on the grassy area opposite the construction site. Fans will be invited to bring their own chairs and blankets to enjoy the action. There will also be seating located behind the goals on each side of the facility, similar to years past.
Construction
Construction will be ongoing for most of the season, and the grandstand side of the facility will be shut down for the entirety of the season. Only credentialed members of the UK staff will be allowed over to that side of the complex.
Facility Entrance
All fans will be entering and exiting the facility using the existing student entrance located between the game field and the practice field. The existing entrance main gate will be shut down and fans will not be able to enter the facility through those gates, as they will be closed during the construction process.
Parking
Fans will be able to park in one of three locations for the season. The first-arriving fans will receive access to the gravel lot located directly across from the main gate. Once that lot is filled, fans will be directed to park in the lot that borders the practice field off of College Way. In addition, similar to softball parking in 2013, there will be parking on the west side of College Way in the grassy area between the soccer/softball complex and Commonwealth Stadium. When there are no further available spots, fans will park in select lots of Commonwealth Stadium, which is in walking distance of the UK Soccer Complex. Parking lots will open three hours prior to game time. Handicapped parking will remain as seasons past, as they will be able to park near the main gate in the paved lot.
