The 13th season of Kentucky women?s soccer kicks off Friday evening when UK plays host to No. 15 West Virginia at the Kentucky Invitational. The match is set for a 7:30 P.M. EDT start at the UK Soccer Complex and will follow the 5 p.m. Ohio-Wisconsin match. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive 2004 UK women?s soccer schedule magnets. Coaches and players representing the Lexington Youth Soccer Association (LYSA) and the Kentucky Youth Soccer Association (KYSA) will earn free admission by wearing their jerseys to Friday?s matches.
The 2004 Kentucky squad, led by Head Coach Warren Lipka, features 15 returnees from the 2003 Wildcat team that earned a conference record 11th-consecutive berth in the SEC Tournament. Leading the way in the Kentucky attack are junior Ashley Schillig and sophomore Elisabeth Jones, who tallied four and three goals, respectively, a season ago. The pair look for increased roles in 2004 following the graduation of UK career assists leader Elizabeth Ramsey, the leading point producer in 2003. Freshman Callie Lanphier, who scored one goal and played significant minutes in Kentucky?s exhibition matches last weekend, will further solidify the attack.
Returning in the midfield are seniors Alli Haeussler and Danielle Slupski and juniors Jen Weakley and Courtney McCrudden. Slupski returns to the pitch this season after a knee injury kept her out of all but four matches a season ago. Seniors Jessica Laswell and Erin Witchey and junior Kristin Moyer return to provide an experienced backfield.
West Virginia is coached by Nikki Izzo-Brown, now in her ninth season with the Mountaineers. WVU enters the regular season ranked No. 15 in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and No. 20 by Soccer Buzz. The Mountaineers are led by All-Big East forward Laura Kane and All-Region defender Ashley Weimer. The 2003 WVU squad finished the season with a No. 10 NSCAA ranking after an NCAA Sweet 16 loss to Florida State.
On Sunday, Ohio meets West Virginia at 11:30 a.m., while Kentucky and Wisconsin are scheduled for a 2 p.m. start. The first 200 fans in attendance will receive free 2004 UK Soccer shirts. Fans also will have an opportunity to win $250 in cash in the ?Kicks for Cash? event. All tournament matches will be held at the UK Soccer Complex on Alumni Drive adjacent to Commonwealth Stadium.
