Kentucky looks to wrap up a conference-leading 12th SEC Tournament berth Sunday afternoon when the Cats take on Mississippi State. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. EDT at the UK Soccer Complex.
Despite suffering losses in its last three matches, Kentucky is in a position to clinch its 12th SEC Tournament berth Sunday, and by doing so, would continue its streak as the only SEC team to qualify for each conference tournament. Kentucky (6-9-1, 3-5-1) currently holds the No. 7 seed in the SEC Tournament, while Mississippi State (6-8-3, 3-5-1) controls the eighth and final seed.
As it stands now, UK holds the tiebreaker advantage over the Bulldogs by way of goal differential in conference matches, though the edge would be nullified by a Mississippi State victory Sunday. However, a Kentucky victory coupled with a tie or loss Sunday from Arkansas or Georgia would punch the Cats? tickets for the conference tournament at Auburn.
Kentucky must overcome its recent offensive woes to capture a post-season berth. The Cats have been outscored by a 14-2 margin in their last six matches but hope to take advantage of a Bulldog defense that has surrendered a league-worst 19 goals in nine conference matches.
Kentucky has taken four of five meetings with Mississippi State, including the most recent meeting, a 1-0 Wildcat win two seasons ago in Lexington.