Lais Araujo’s Hat Trick Paces Gators Past Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky.  – Florida sophomore midfielder Lais Araujo recorded a hat trick in the first half, as part of six Florida goals on Thursday night in a 6-0 win over the Kentucky Wildcats at the Bell Soccer Complex.
 
Araujo’s goals came in the 14th minute, 10 minutes later in the 24th minute and just after the half-hour mark at 32 minutes into the match. The goals were Araujo’s second, third and fourth of the season.
 
Florida took a 4-0 lead into the half after a fourth goal was added in the waning seconds of the opening frame by Alyssa Howell, who scored her first collegiate goal.
 
The Wildcats best scoring chance of the night came in the sixth minute as Tanya Samarzich ducked and weaved her way to the right of Florida goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese, but Marckese came up big with a save on Samarzich’s left-footed effort. Marckese had three saves in the match.
 
Madison Alexander scored her third goal of the season in the 65th minute to add a fifth goal for UF before the final tally came in the 81st minute from Mayra Pelayo – her first goal of the season.
 
UF outshot the Wildcats 14-4 and had three corner kicks to the Wildcats’ one. The Gators commited nine fouls in the match, one less than UK’s 10.
 
Both Camille Downing and Sarah Siekkinen got their first minutes as Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday night. Downing, a Lexington, Ky., native, played 15 minutes with Siekkinen playing two.
 
With the loss, UK falls to 4-7-0 on the season and 0-2-0 in Southeastern Conference play. Florida picks up its third win of the season to move to 3-6-1 overall, and 1-1-0 in SEC play.
 
The Wildcats will face No. 9/11 South Carolina on Sunday afternoon in Columbia. The match will be shown live on ESPNU and the ESPN app with Mike Watts and former USWNT goalkeeper Jill Loyden on the call from Stone Stadium.
 
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.