Kentucky continues its string of conference matches against its first SEC Eastern divisional opponent Friday when the Cats meet No. 11 Florida. The Cats and Gators do battle at 7:30 p.m. EDT at the UK Soccer Complex.
Kentucky (5-5-1, 2-1-1) has recovered from a rigorous pre-conference schedule by winning five of its last seven matches. Junior goalkeeper Liz Butler has recorded three shutouts, and the Kentucky offense has outscored its opponents by a 15-6 margin during the seven-match stretch. Though the Cats suffered their first shutout loss to No. 20 Auburn last Sunday, the Kentucky offense has established itself as a significant threat, as 11 different Wildcats have netted goals and six Cats have dished out assists.
Just over halfway into the season, junior midfielder Jen Weakley leads Kentucky with four goals, and three more Cats have scored three goals apiece. Sophomore forward Elisabeth Jones leads the Cats with 10 points, and with her conference-leading six assists on the season, the former Lexington Christian Academy standout is on pace to threaten the school single-season assists record of 11 held by Annie Gage and Elizabeth Ramsey. Butler?s conference goals-against average of 0.95 is the sixth lowest in the conference.
Florida (8-3-1, 2-2) comes to Lexington as a victor in four of its last six matches. The Gators? three losses have come against No. 1 North Carolina, No. 23 Auburn and No. 7 Tennessee. Florida rebounded from a double-overtime loss to Tennessee with a 4-0 win over Georgia in its most recent match last Sunday.
The Gators are 47th in the NCAA in scoring offense at 2.25 goals per game. Florida also is stingy on defense, as evidenced by its? conference goals-against average of 0.72, good for second in the SEC. Senior All-American midfielder Stephanie Freeman leads the Gators with five points in conference play. UF goalkeeper Jen Gardner is third in the SEC with a 0.72 goals-against average in conference matches. Florida Coach Becky Burleigh joins UK Coach Warren Lipka as the only coaches in SEC soccer history with 50 conference wins.
The Cats are 1-10-1 in their series with the Gators, though Kentucky has more than held its own in the last two matches. Kentucky blanked Florida 3-0 two seasons ago in Lexington, and Florida needed a late second-half penalty kick to force a 1-1 tie last season in Gainesville.
Friday marks ?Girl Scout Night? at the UK Soccer Complex. All Girl Scouts and their leaders will be admitted free of charge. The first 300 fans in attendance will receive a coupon redeemable for a free burrito at Chipotle Mexican Grill.
