Aug. 24, 2014
SEATTLE, Wash. – The University of Kentucky women’s soccer team collected a 2-1 win over Seattle University on Sunday afternoon, as junior Cara Ledman whipped in a corner kick in the 97th minute to clinch the win in overtime and collect the Wildcats’ first win of the season.
“We played very well today, and deserved the win,” UK head coach Jon Lipsitz said, who registered his 57th career win at UK on Sunday afternoon. “It’s always tough on Sunday’s to win, especially on the road. We didn’t close out the game the way that we wanted to in regulation, but we responded well in overtime and picked up the win.”
Kentucky dominated the match from start to finish, dictating the speed of play and holding much of the ball throughout the 90 minutes of regulation. UK ended the match with 21 shots to Seattle’s eight, with seven of those shots coming on frame and only one for SU.
UK opened the scoring when senior Arin Gilliland got in the scoring column in the 47th minute for the second game running. Gilliland received a pass from Ledman who shredded the Seattle defense with cutbacks and dribbling to get 1v1 at the top of the box, and Gilliland making a run down the left side. Ledman then fed Gilliland an entry ball, as Gilliland took a touch to get the ball wide of the keeper and then passed it into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
Gilliland, who is a Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Award finalist, now already has four points through the opening two matches of the season on two goals. Gilliland had seven shots in the match, with three on goal, one goal and one off the post in 97 minutes of action.
UK dominated possession for the match, until the final seconds, as SU then drew even with 1:07 to go in the match. The Redhawks’ Stephanie Verdoia rifled a laser from the top of the box past Taylor Braun’s left arm and into the back of the net for the goal. The goal for SU was Seattle’s only shot on goal in the entire match.
After regulation, Kentucky regrouped well and dictated the pace of play in overtime well. Gilliland had an early chance to put the game away less than a minute in, but struck the left woodwork and the match remained level at 1-1.
Kentucky would then win the match six minutes later as Ledman went out to the left side to take her fifth corner kick of the match. Ledman went to the corner and swung a ball in from the farside and it went past the keeper and hit the far-side netting untouched, and won the game for the Wildcats.
Ledman’s three points on the afternoon are a new career-best, marks the only time in her career in which she has tallied both a goal and an assist. The Franklin, Tenn., native had a goal, assist, four shots and two on frame in the 97 minutes of action.
The overtime win for Kentucky was its first since Nov. 9 of the 2012 season, when UK defeated UT Martin in an extra frame in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky will return home for the first time next weekend to christen the new Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington, Ky., with a Friday/Sunday weekend featuring matches against Francis Marion (Fri. Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m. ET) and Ohio University (Sun. Aug. 31, 2 p.m. ET).
For continuing coverage of UK women’s soccer, log on to UKathletics.com.
