July 23, 2013

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky women’s soccer team was predicted to finish second in the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division by the conference’s coaches, it was announced by the league office on Tuesday morning.

The reigning SEC Champion Florida Gators were picked by the league’s 14 coaches to finish in first of the Eastern Division with 89 total points, and 11 of the 14 first-place votes. Tennessee tied with Kentucky for second in the East, and the Lady Vols also got three first-place votes for the division as well. Missouri ended up fourth in the predictions with South Carolina, Georgia and Vanderbilt rounding out the division

SEC Tournament finalist and defending SEC Western Division champion, Texas A&M, was picked to win the western division, receiving 91 points in the voting and 13 of the 14 first-place votes from the league coaches. LSU was 24 points behind the Aggies, with Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss, Arkansas and Mississippi State the predicted order of finish.

The predicted finish of the Wildcats for second place is the highest under head coach Jon Lipsitz, who enters his fifth year at the helm of the Kentucky women’s soccer program. Lipsitz led UK to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win in 2012 over UT Martin in a 1-0 OT thriller at the UK Soccer Complex in Lexington, Ky.

Kentucky will be returning nine of 11 starters from that 2012 team, including 11 of the 12 different players that scored a goal for the Wildcats.

The Aggies of Texas A&M were predicted to win the SEC, receiving eight of the 14 championship votes. Florida received the other six votes. The Wildcats do not play Texas A&M in 2013.

The players will report to Lexington for the opening day of the preseason on Tuesday, Aug. 6. The Wildcats open the 2013 season in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Friday, Aug. 23, at 6:30 p.m. ET at Wake Forest.