March 25, 2002
The University of Kentucky women’s soccer team kicked into spring with a 1-0 shutout of Vanderbilt in an exhibition contest on Saturday, March 23 at the UK Soccer Complex. Coach Warren Lipka was pleased with the effort and is using this practice period to test new lineups and position changes in preparation for his 11th season in the Bluegrass.
“It was our first time out this spring and I was happy with the effort our players displayed,” Lipka said. “We’ve made some changes and some players are getting used to playing in new positions. We’ll look to get them experience and build upon this learning and practice period for the fall.”
Saturday marked the return of All-Southeastern Conference midfielder Elizabeth Ramsey. The Hilliard, Ohio native, missed the entire 2001 campaign when she suffered a torn ACL while playing last summer on her club team. Ramsey, named to the 2000 SEC All-Tournament team, enters the season second on UK’s career assist list, posting 21 helpers from 1999-2000.
“It was Elizabeth’s first action of the year and she performed well,” Lipka said. “With the loss of six seniors, she obviously is welcomed back to our team this season. Her leadership and ability to score are integral components to the success of our team.”
The Wildcats needed to dent the net only once to defeat their SEC Eastern Division rivals Saturday afternoon. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Erin Witchey, also returning to action after using her medical redshirt in 2001, took a pass from a hard charging Meghan McCourt in the center of the pitch. Junior forward Lauren Russell darted down the left flank and connected on Witchey’s cross to the bottom right corner of the VU net from 16 yards out with 10 minutes to play before the half.
“It was nice to get the ball in the net today,” Russell said. “My teammates created the opportunity for me and I was able to knock it in. I was pleased with the effort our team gave today and we hope to build upon it the rest of the spring.”
Lipka penciled in the following lineup on Saturday vs. Vanderbilt:F- Heather Saas, JuniorF- Kim Jedlo, JuniorF- Kara McCue, JuniorM- Alli Haeussler, JuniorM- Danielle Slupski, Redshirt SophomoreM- Elizabeth Ramsey, Redshirt JuniorD- Jen Wilkinson, JuniorD- Jamie Hutchison, SophomoreD- Tara Weatherford, SophomoreD- Christal Mattingly, SeniorGK- Kim McHugh
Noticeable differences on the Cats’ starting 11 include junior Kara McCue, a steadfast defender for Lipka in 2001, jumping up front at forward and Christal Mattingly and Tara Weatherford moving back to solidify the line of defense. Kim McCHugh earned the start between the pipes, but Liz Butler saw equal time in the UK net.
“Spring is the time to give players the opportunity to play in different positions to see if they can fit in areas where we need help,” Lipka said. “The outcome of the game was not important. We wanted to get our younger players some game experience and experiment with some of our veterans playing in different roles. Overall, I was pleased.”
The Wildcats will continue with spring practice on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and will conclude their drills on April 14. UK will travel to Colimbia, Mo. to take part in the Missouri Nike Challenge to begin its 2002 season. The Cats will face Illinois in their season opener on Friday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m.
