Rhodes’ Hat Trick Leads Kentucky Past Marshall, 3-0, in Home Opener

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Behind a three-goal effort from Jordyn Rhodes, the University of Kentucky women’s soccer team posted a 3-0 win over Marshall in the home opener at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex on Sunday. 

This marks the second hat trick of Rhodes’ career, the first which came during the SEC Tournament First Round against Florida on November 13, 2020. She is also just the second Wildcat to ever record more than one hat trick in their time in the blue and white, joining Cheryl Shimovetz who also had two back in 1992.

With the win, the Wildcats move to 1-0-1 on the season while Marshall drops to 0-2.

UK had a few scoring chances throughout the first half but was unable to convert any attempts, and Kentucky’s collective defense limited Marshall to only a pair of shots. At the half, the Wildcats held a 4-0 advantage on corner kicks and had eight shots to the Herd’s two.

Kentucky wasted no time on the attack coming out of the break, firing off five shots in the same number of minutes. UK’s pressure on offense paid off in the 53rd minute when Miranda Jimenez sent a cross through a pair of Herd defenders from the left side, finding Rhodes to put Kentucky on the board first.

The Wildcats doubled their lead in the 60th minute when a yellow card on Marshall’s Meg Jarvis awarded them a free kick. Maria Olsen connected with Rhodes, who sent a header into the back of the net from the top of the 6-yard box.

Continuing to press, Kentucky struck again seven minutes later to extend its lead to 3-0. A shot fired by Marissa Bosco was deflected by Marshall’s goalkeeper but quickly found Rhodes, who tapped it in to complete her hat trick in the 67th minute.

The Wildcats out-shot the Herd 25-5 during the match, including 17-3 in the second frame. Rhodes posted a game-high eight shots while Olsen and Bosco both had four apiece. 

Between the posts, Laura Nielsen finished the game with five saves and Courtney McVicker made eight for the Herd.

Kentucky returns home for a matchup with Louisiana on Thursday, Aug. 26 at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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.