July 21, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Sixth-year University of Kentucky women’s soccer head coach Jon Lipsitz has announced that seniors Arin Gilliland and Stuart Pope, in addition to junior Courtney Raetzman have been named captains for the 2014 season.
“We take a lot of pride in determining our captains, and it is something we don’t take lightly,” Lipsitz said. “We ask a lot out of our captains on and off the field, and they are the best of the best. All three of the young women that our team and staff selected display the best attributes of our program and we will be relying on them to lead us to our goals for the 2014 season. I can trust all three of them to give us a pulse on the team and help us to become the best team we can become.”
The 2014 fall will be Gilliland’s second-straight season as a captain for the Wildcats, with both Pope and Raetzman serving in the leadership role for the first time in their UK careers.
Between the three, they have combined in their careers for 40 goals, 31 assists, 109 points and 16 game-winning goals. Between the three of the captains for 2014, one of them recorded a goal and/or assist in 18 of the Wildcats’ 22 matches last season.
Gilliland enters the 2014 season as the top-returning goal scorer from 2013, where she accumulated 31 points off of 11 goals and nine assists. For her monumental efforts on the field, Gilliland was named a third-team All-American and First-Team All-Southeastern Conference member in 2013. In addition, Gilliland was named the 2014 Honda Inspiration Award winner at the 2014 College Women in Sports Awards on CBS Sports this June.
Pope, who had a sensational season cut short by injury in 2013, returns for her final campaign as a leader for the Wildcats on and off the field. As a starting attacking midfielder in 2013, Pope recorded a career-best 10 goals and seven assists for 27 points and five game-winning goals. The senior from Fayetteville, Ga., is an Equine Science major, and has a 3.9 GPA in the classroom.
The lone junior, Raetzman, also had her 2013 season cut short due to a leg injury, but recovered in time for the NCAA Tournament against Ohio State and UCLA, where her presence in the midfield was greatly felt. Raetzman tallied three assists a year ago in her 533 minutes on the pitch, and started in all the matches that she appeared in. Raetzman hails from Elk Grove, Ill.
For continuing coverage of UK women’s soccer log on to UKathletics.com.
