The Kentucky Wildcats put their SEC best eight-game unbeaten streak on the line this weekend as the team opens its SEC season on the road at Auburn (4-2-1) and Alabama (7-2-0).
After play through four weeks of the NCAA Division I women’s season, Kentucky is one of only nine teams in the country to remain unbeaten at 6-0-2.
?We always look forward to opening the conference schedule,? said head coach Warren Lipka. ?The pre-season is always fun, but this is where it all begins. And this year looks to be one of the best in the league. We?ve got three or four teams ranked fairly high and there have been a lot of positive results for the league this year against some traditionally strong opponents.?
The Wildcats and the Tigers have split their 13 meetings, each team posting a 6-6-1 record. However, Auburn has controlled the series of late winning the last four meetings including a 1-0 overtime affair last season in Lexington. Kentucky is 1-2-1 against Auburn on the Plains.
It?s a different story however between UK and Alabama. The Wildcats own a 7-2-1 record against the Crimson Tide including a 2-1-1 mark against the Tide in Tuscaloosa.
In addition, Sunday?s Kentucky-Alabama match-up will feature the longest tenured coaches in the SEC. UK?s Warren Lipka has been the head coach at Kentucky since the inception of the program in 1992 and since the SEC began sponsoring soccer in 1993. Alabama head coach Don Staley has also been the only head coach at Alabama which began its soccer program in 1994. The two coaches are the only ones left from the ?old school?.
The Wildcats are led once again by their tenacious defense. The team?s 0.46 goals-against-average currently ranks 17th nationally and third in the SEC. UK?s .625 shutout percentage places them 14th in the country.
Kentucky owns a 5-8-1 record in SEC opening matches. After a slow start in SEC openers, the Wildcats have picked up the pace in the last seven years going 5-1-1. Kentucky suffered a set back in SEC openers last season dropping a 3-2 decision at LSU ending the Cats? six-game unbeaten streak in league lidlifters.
Kickoff at Auburn is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. and live stats will be available at UKathletics.com. The Wildcats and Crimson Tide are scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. kick on Sunday.
