Oct. 2, 2009
LEXINGTON, KY – Despite a drastic change in game plan only hours before the match, the Wildcats still couldn’t get on track offensively, dropping a 1-0 match to No. 22 Georgia Friday night.
In an effort to stymie the Bulldog attack, UK head coach Jon Lipsitz employed a formation change only hours before the game to try and spark his team, as well as throw off a well-prepared Georgia team.
“We made a huge change in our play,” said UK head coach Jon Lipsitz. “We changed our shape, changed our style, changed everything in our one-hour workout this morning. I thought the team did a fantastic job of closing down the spaces Georgia wanted to get into. They’re a fantastic team and incredibly well coached and organized. We knew they’d be ready so we came up with a plan to keep them from doing what makes them comfortable and I thought we did it extremely well. We just have to give credit to Georgia for finding a way to score a goal.”
As the Cats tried to adjust to the new system, the Bulldogs controlled the first 10 minutes, but were unable to scratch the scoreboard. The Wildcats settled in and the rest of the half was played on equal parts of the field.
The Wildcats had their first serious scoring opportunity in the 58th minute when Kelly Browning sent a ball over the top of the Georgia defense in front of Kirsten Robinson. Robinson used her speed to beat the Bulldog defense, chase down the ball and get a one-on-one opportunity with charging Georgia goalie Michelle Betos, but her shot sailed wide right.
Georgia nearly took the lead in the 65th minute when Caroline Simpson got a solid header off a corner kick that was headed for the far right post, but Ashley Stack was there to knock the ball away and preserve the tie.
The Bulldogs threatened again with nine minutes left in the match when Lindsay Stein sent a perfect centering pass in front of the UK goal to a diving Carrie Patterson, but Patterson’s shot went high.
Georgia took the lead on its next attack when Leslie McConnell sent a ball into the front of the Kentucky goal where a scrum ensued. UGA’s Alex Hooker was able to poke the ball inside the left post for a 1-0 Georgia lead.
The Wildcats generated one final opportunity with 2:55 left off a free kick. Browning sent a ball into the middle of the 18-yard box where Katie Fahey got under it for a header, but the ball went straight into the hands of Betos for the save.
Robinson led the Wildcat offense with two shots while Fahey and Browning registered the only shots on goal for UK.
The Cats close out the weekend on Sunday against the Tennessee Lady Vols. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised live on CSS and live stats/blog will be available on www.UKathletics.com.
