Babo’s Brace Secures Home Point in Draw with Tennessee
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Sophomore defender Sophie
Babo notched her first-career brace on Friday night, helping secure Kentucky’s
third Southeastern Conference point of the season as the Wildcats drew with
Tennessee, 2-2 at the Bell Soccer Complex.
Babo converted from the penalty spot in the 69th
minute in a 1-1 match and converted with a clinical finish to the keepers’ left
for the 2-1 lead. Tennessee would equalize in the 84th minute off a
counterattack through Ariel Kupritz’s second goal of the season.
With the point, Kentucky moves to 0-5-3 in the
Southeastern Conference and sits on three points in the league table. The
Wildcats are 4-7-4 overall in 2016. Tennessee earned its first draw of the
season as it moves to 9-6-1. The Vols are 4-3-1 inside of league action.
The match’s opening goal came though the New
Zealand international, Hannah Wilkinson, who scored her team-leading ninth goal
of the year on 17 minutes. The Vols caught UK in a high line on transition and
played a ball through the schemes of the Kentucky back four to Wilkinson, who
beat UK goalkeeper Evangeline Soucie 1v1 and finished.
Minnesotan Sophie Babo scored her first of two
goals in the match in the 35th minute as she headed in a Tanya
Samarzich corner kick to equalize in the first half. Babo was in the mouth of
the goal about five yards out and Samarzich lifted in a perfect ball to an
unmarked Babo, who finished to the keepers’ right for the 1-1 scoreline.
Kentucky would take its first lead of the
night in the 69th minute on Babo’s converted penalty.
Tennessee equalized late in the match with
seven minutes remaining to make it 2-2 as Kupritz scored her second of the
season off a mistake along the UK backline which was transitioned into a
counter and Wilkinson played a ball central to the middle, where an unmarked
Kupritz was there waiting and beat Soucie low and to her right.
Kentucky outshot Tennessee, 14-11 with the
Wildcats earning 10 corners to the Vols’ three. Katy Keen, Samarzich and
Marissa Bosco all had three shots in the match.
The Wildcats will play two of their final
three matches on the road, beginning with a match Thursday night at Texas
A&M. The Wildcats and Aggies will square off from College Station at 6:30
p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. ET live on the SEC Network+, ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
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.
