Kentucky Travels to Tampa for Matchup With No. 15 South Florida
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Fresh off a dominant win at home on Thursday, the University of Kentucky women’s soccer team will head to the Sunshine State to take on No. 15 South Florida on Sunday, Aug. 29. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at the Corbett Soccer Complex in Tampa, Florida, and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
The Wildcats will look for their first victory against a ranked opponent since taking down No. 9 Arkansas on Oct. 23, 2016, in a 2-1 decision. UK is also seeing their first win on the road in two years, the last which came on Sept. 12, 2019, when it defeated Eastern Kentucky, 2-0.
Kentucky enters Sunday’s matchup with a 2-0-1 record on the season, with its most recent appearance being a convincing 5-0 shutout over Louisiana. UK’s five goals is the most in a regular season game under head coach Ian Carry, besting the previous mark of four set on Aug. 29, 2019, at George Mason.
Jordyn Rhodes scored all three goals in the home opener versus Marshall for the second hat trick of her career, becoming just the second UK player to ever record more than one. Through the first three matches, she is tied for first in the Southeastern Conference in goals (4), goals per game (1.33), points (9), and points per game (3), also ranking second in the league in shots (15) and shots per game (5).
Joining Rhodes on Kentucky’s explosive frontline is Hannah Richardson, who recorded the first multi-goal game of her career against the Ragin’ Cajuns. Richardson is tied for second in the SEC in both goals (3) and goals per game (1). Marissa Bosco has one goal on the year while Miranda Jimenez, Maria Olsen, and Úlfa Úlfarsdóttir all have two assists.
Just as their offense has gotten off to a hot start this season, the Wildcats’ backline has also been a force. Marie Lynge Olesen, Sara Makoben-Blessing, Peyton Rimko, and Caroline Trout have been staples on UK’s defense, playing nearly every minute of the first three games and limiting opponents to 32 shots in total. Between the posts, Laura Nielsen has recorded 13 saves for a .929 save percentage, ranking second in both categories in the SEC.
UK will be the third SEC program this season to play No. 15 South Florida, who heads into Sunday’s contest with a 2-1 record on the season. After the first three matches, Sydny Nasello ranks first on the team in goals (2), points (5), and shots on goal (6) with Sydney Martinez making eight saves for a .727 save percentage in net. Madeleine Penman-Derstine, one of 12 newcomers on the Bulls’ roster, was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week on Aug. 23 following her game-winning goal against the Gators.
USF was picked to finish first in the AAC preseason poll and led the league in preseason awards as Nasello was voted preseason offensive player of the year and Martinez was selected preseason co-goalkeeper of the year. Nasello, Martinez, Vivianne Bessette, and Chyanne Dennis were also chosen for the preseason all-conference team, while Martinez and Nasello both recently landed on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list.
Denise Schilte-Brown, who is currently in her 15th year as head coach, has amassed a 156-79-38 record at USF and has led the team to five AAC championship titles. In 2020, she guided the Bulls to both the regular season and tournament championships in the same season for the first time.
Sunday’s match will be the second meeting between the Wildcats and Bulls in program history, with South Florida owning the all-time series record at 1-0. The last meeting between the two teams was a 3-2 USF victory on Aug. 25, 2016, in Lexington.
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.
