No. 12 Kentucky Battles Late into the Night, Loses to No. 13 Florida, 6-5
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – The No. 12 seed University of Kentucky women’s soccer team concluded its fall season late in the night on Friday, November 13, losing a physically-taxing game to No. 13 seed Florida in one overtime of the Southeastern Conference Tournament First Round, 6-5. The Wildcats finish the fall season on a 1-5-3 record, with their first SEC Tournament berth since 2015.
Kentucky scored a season-high five goals in regulation, as Jordyn Rhodes led the team with the first hat-trick in her college career, scoring three goals, while Hannah Richardson and Úlfa Úlfarsdóttir scored one apiece. The Wildcats haven’t scored as many as five goals since defeating Murray State in a 5-0 decision on September 11, 2016.
For the second straight game, Rhodes scored multiple goals against Florida. It marked the fifth time in her career she has scored multiple goals in one game, and the third time this season, doing so in the season opener, the season closer and against Florida in the first round of the SEC Tournament this evening.
Rhodes’ hat-trick marked the first time a Kentucky player has accomplished that feat since Arin Gilliland did so against Eastern Kentucky in 2014.
The sophomore scored her first goal of the contest in the 25th minute on a right-footer launched into the bottom right corner of the net to equalize the match at 1-1. She was assisted by Maria Olsen and Emily Hähnel, both earning their first assists in their college careers.
Just half a minute later, Úlfarsdóttir sprinted down the center of the field from the center circle, launching a 50-footer low and right to earn the first goal in her college career. The goal helped Kentucky earn its first lead of the game, 2-1, doing so in the 25th minute.
Three minutes later in the 28th minute, Rhodes had a penalty kick opportunity, sending the ball, once again, low and right to help Kentucky to its third goal of the half and a 3-1 lead. Remarkably, Rhodes concluded the fall season 5-of-5 on PKs, scoring two of those against Florida – once in the regular season and once in the SEC Tournament.
Kentucky took a 3-1 lead to the locker room at halftime. It marked the first time UK scored as many as three goals in the first half since August 30, 2015 vs. Toledo, and the first time the program has accomplished that feat in the SEC Tournament since October 11, 2014 vs. Tennessee.
Florida rallied back-to-back goals to open the second half, as a pair of Gators took their turn knocking one into the net in the 61st minute and the 67th minute to equalize the contest at 3-3. Then, Gator Deanne Rose found success off a PK in the 75th minute to give Florida its second lead of the game, 4-3.
Kentucky rallied back-to-back impressive goals after that, as Richardson and Rhodes scored less than a minute apart from one another. Richardson launched a beautiful ball to the top-left corner, scoring in the 82nd minute off an assist from Olsen, her second assist of the night. Then, Rhodes scored in the 83rd minute on a header off a corner kick from Gretchen Mills, recording her first assist of the season, to help UK to a 5-4 lead.
However, Gator Parker Roberts tied the contest in the 88th minute, and in overtime, Gator Lindley scored her second goal of the game to help Florida to the triumph.
Littman rallied four saves in the game, concluding the season with 56 saves, the most saves she has ever made in a single season by 25 saves.
Several Wildcats concluded the fall season competing all 876 minutes, including Caroline Trout, Littman and Úlfarsdóttir.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s soccer program, follow @UKWomensSoccer on Twitter and on Instagram, on Facebook and on the web at UKathletics.com.
