Kentucky, Alabama Square Off in Tuscaloosa on Thursday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky women’s soccer team travels to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama on Thursday, Oct. 21 at the Alabama Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET and the match will be carried on SEC Network+ with Chris Stewart and Hayley MacDonald on the call.
The Wildcats will arrive in Tuscaloosa with a 6-8-2 record on the year, which includes a 0-7 mark in league play. Kentucky dropped a 1-0 decision to LSU in its latest appearance on Oct. 14.
Jordyn Rhodes continues to lead UK in several categories: goals (10), assists (5), points (25), shots (49), and shots on goal (22). Her 10 goals and 25 points thus far both rank second in the conference while her 0.63 goals per game sit in third. She is also tied for the sixth-most goals scored in the NCAA so far this year.
Richardson is right behind Rhodes with eight goals — good enough to be tied for fourth in the league — and paves the way for UK with a trio of two-goal games on the year. The dynamic duo of Rhodes and Richardson have combined for 18 goals so far this season, which ranks fourth nationally for top scoring duos.
Between the posts, Laura Nielsen has recorded 69 saves and 4.31 saves per game to rank second in league standings. Her .775 save percentage is fifth amongst all SEC goalkeepers.
Alabama enters Thursday’s contest with an 8-7-1 record on the season, including a 3-3-1 mark in conference action. The Crimson Tide, who most recently posted a 1-1 draw with Texas A&M, has picked up SEC wins against Missouri, LSU, and Mississippi State.
Kate Henderson and Ashlynn Serepca lead Alabama with five goals apiece and McKinley Crone has recorded 42 saves for a .689 save percentage in net. The program is led by head coach Wes Hart who has amassed a 59-58-14 record in his seven years at the helm.
Thursday will be the 22nd meeting between the Wildcats and Crimson Tide in program history with UK looking to extend its all-time series record of 13-6-2. Kentucky will also seek to increase its mark of games played on the road, which currently falls in its favor at 5-4-1.
The last meeting between the two teams was on Oct. 4, 2018, in Tuscaloosa where Kentucky dropped a 4-3 decision. The Wildcats scored all three of their goals in a 13-minute span, including one from then-freshman Gretchen Mills in the 55th minute which was the first goal of her career.
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.
