Oct. 31, 2003
You might see Elizabeth Ramsey often tonight.
She may sell you a soft drink at the concession stand.
She might take your ticket and show you to your seat.
Maybe she’ll even sing the national anthem.
At any rate, you’ll see No. 22 in a number of spots this evening, doing what she does best; just about everything.
At a diminutive 5’3″, Ramsey doesn’t instill fear into opponents on appearance alone. But a look at her career statistics would suggest otherwise. Her 35 assists are the most for any UK women’s or men’s soccer letter winner. Ramsey’s three assists earlier in the season against Arkansas gave her the record previously owned by her sister-in-law, Annie Gage. Her next goal will elevate her to third place on UK’s all-time career goals list. Ramsey, a native of Hilliard, Ohio, a Columbus-area suburb, is second in Kentucky women’s soccer history in total points with 91.
Offensive statistics notwithstanding, Ramsey is as effective on defense at the forward position as anyone in the Southeastern Conference. A sequence in the second half at Auburn earlier this month proved her worth as a skilled defender.
An Auburn midfielder claimed possession of the ball deep in the Auburn zone and dribbled tens of yards down the sideline into the Kentucky zone. Ramsey stalked the Tiger midfielder step-for-step. As the Auburn player continued into Kentucky territory, untouched, Ramsey approached the player from behind for a slide tackle. Ramsey slid, poked the ball several yards in front of the unsuspecting Tiger without making contact, regained balance and took possession of the ball in seemingly one fluid motion. In the Cats’ first conference match of the season at Vanderbilt, Ramsey’s steal just outside of the Vandy penalty box and subsequent goal proved to be the difference in a 1-0 shutout of the Commodores.
The road to success for Ramsey is a once-beaten path that has since been re-paved. Ramsey overcame a torn anterior cruciate ligament in high school and did so once more after suffering the same injury after a sterling sophomore season. As a result of her dedication in the classroom, the road through life appears to be a bit more smooth. A member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, this elementary education major spends most of her weekdays not in a college classroom but an elementary-school classroom, serving as a student-teacher to fulfill her degree requirements. Upon graduation, Ramsey plans a return to the Columbus area to start her career as a teacher.
Ramsey can look back upon her soccer days at Kentucky with fond memories. But with the Cats’ post-season fate still up in the air, Ramsey is not completely satisfied, just yet.
“Hopefully, the best is yet to come,” she says.
