Nov. 7, 2001
KENTUCKY TO FACE No. 18 TENNESSEE IN SEC TOURNAMENT
BATON ROUGE, La. – The University of Kentucky women’s soccer team (11-6-1/5-4-0 Southeastern Conference) will battle the 18th-ranked Lady Volunteers of Tennessee (11-5-0/7-2-0 SEC) in the first round of the 2001 SEC Tournament held in Baton Rouge, La. on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 3:30p.m. ET. The match-up between the No. 4 seed Lady Vols and the No. 5 seed Wildcats is a rematch of this season’s double-overtime contest that Tennessee won, 1-0, at the UK Soccer Complex on Oct. 14.
“The SEC Tournament is an environment for us to rectify our mistakes that we made during the year and get it right at the right time,” Coach Warren Lipka said. “Our team is playing very well and very confident at this point in the season. Their destiny lies in their own hands.”
Leading the Wildcat attack into the Bayou will be senior forward Annie Gage. Voted first-team All-SEC this season, the Westerville, Ohio, native already owns the UK career records for assists (32) and shots (199) and has closed the gap to seven points in her chase to dethrone Kim LaBelle (1994-97) as Kentucky’s all-time leader in points scored with 107.
“Our goal is the same now as it was in the beginning of the season, to win the SEC Championship,” Gage said. “We are playing well as a team coming in and I feel we can accomplish our goal if we come together and play like we know we can play. The time is now for us to take the field, get after it and get it done.”
Joining Gage on the All-SEC first team is UT junior forward Kim Patrick. Leading the Lady Vols in all statistical categories this season (11 goals, 7 points, 29 points), the North Carolina transfer netted the game-winning goal for Tennessee in the second overtime period to lift the Lady Vols over the Cats earlier this season. UT also placed midfielder Sue Flamini on the SEC’s first team, while midfielder Keeley Dowling, who assisted Patrick’s goal to down UK, earned second-team honors.
Kentucky and Tennessee will take the field in the second game of four first-round matches played at the Louisiana State University Soccer Complex. No. 1 Florida will take on No. 8 Vanderbilt at 1 p.m., No. 4 UT and No. 5 UK at 3:30 p.m., No. 2 Mississippi State will face No. 7 Ole Miss at 6 p.m., while No. 3 Georgia and No. 6 Auburn finish off in the nightcap at 8:30 p.m. All games will be scored live on the Internet and can be accessed by going to www.LSUsports.net and clicking on the SEC Tournament.
The Wildcats, 6-6-1 overall in SEC tourney history, clinched a berth in the postseason for the ninth-consecutive year in 2001. Only UK and Vanderbilt have qualified to participate in all nine SEC Championships since the conference recognized a women’s soccer champion in 1993. Kentucky captured the conference title in 1995.
– UK –
