No. 23 USF Scores Three Unanswered Goals to Beat UK, 3-2
LEXINGTON, Kentucky – The University of
Kentucky women’s soccer team scored two goals inside the first 25 minutes of
its home-opening match in front of 1100-plus fans at the Wendell & Vickie
Bell Soccer Complex on Thursday night, but the No. 23 South Florida Bulls
pegged back three unanswered goals in the final 70 minutes to claim its third-successive
win to start the season, 3-2, over Kentucky.
With the loss, UK drops to 0-2-1 on the season
overall. USF moves to a perfect 3-0-0 on the year.
The Wildcats will next play No. 25
Northwestern on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be shown live on
the SEC Network+, ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app with Neil Price and Stuart Pope
on the call.
Sunday will be “Dollar Dog Sunday”, where fans
can bring their dog to the Bell Soccer Complex, and receive $1 admission.
The opening goal of the match was scored by
freshman Gina Crosetti, as she put Kentucky ahead 1-0 inside of 11 minutes on
her first-career goal. The assist came from fellow freshman Marissa Bosco, who
got end line and cut back, serving the ball into the area and allowing Crosetti
time to take a touch and fire it into the net with time to spare.
Kentucky would double its lead in the 25th
minute as Bosco scored her first-collegiate goal to double UK’s advantage and
make it 2-0. Bosco scored off an over-the-top pass from Kelly Novak, who placed
great touch on the ball over the top of the line and Bosco was able to finish
it into the back corner for a 2-0 lead.
Just 44 seconds later, USF would get one back
off a turn and spin at the top of the box, as Evelyne Viens scored first for
the Bulls on an unassisted goal to make it 2-1 in the 25th minute.
After the halftime break, where UK lead 2-1,
the Bulls pulled even in the 53rd minute as Leticia Skeete scored
off a free kick from 30 yards out to score the equalizer. The free kick was
whipped in from the left side and played across the top of the 18. After an
initial clearance by the UK defense, the ball was returned into the top of the
arc outside the box, and a turning finish by Skeete made it 2-2.
After UK had a chance to make it 3-2 Wildcats
off a corner kick that nearly found the back of the net, the Bulls would score
the fifth goal of the match, and ultimately the match winner in the 62nd
minute off the boot of Jordan Tuttle in her first goal of the season. Tuttle
played a nice give-and-go at the top of the box and Veins, who had three points
on the night, got the assist.
UK had six corners in the match, and nearly
scored on two of them – but was unable to find a goal to equalize in the final
minutes.
Zoe Swift led the Wildcats in shots with four.
Tanya Samarzich and Bosco both had three. The Wildcats outshot the Bulls,
16-15, and had three more shots on goals and three more corners.
Freshman goalkeeper Evangeline Soucie got the
loss in net despite making two saves. She falls to 0-2-1 on the season in net.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s soccer team, follow @UKWomensSoccer on Twitter,
Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
