Kentucky Visits No. 12 Tennessee for Final Road Test on Thursday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Coming off a 2-0 shutout in its home finale, the University of Kentucky women’s soccer team will conclude the 2021 season on Thursday, Oct. 28 at No. 12 Tennessee. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. ET at the Regal Soccer Stadium in Knoxville.
This will be the fourth nationally televised game for the Wildcats, as the match will be carried on SEC Network with Glenn Davis and Jill Loyden on the call.
Thursday will also mark Kentucky’s second game this season against a top-15 team after the Wildcats faced then-No. 15 South Florida on Aug. 29. UK will look for its first victory against a ranked opponent since taking down No. 9 Arkansas on Oct. 23, 2016, in a 2-1 decision.
Kentucky will arrive in Knoxville with a 7-9-2 record on the season, which includes a 1-8 mark in Southeastern Conference play. The Wildcats picked up their first SEC victory of the year in their latest appearance, defeating Missouri in a 2-0 shutout in the home finale on Oct. 24 behind goals from Jordyn Rhodes and Úlfa Úlfarsdóttir.
Rhodes’ goal in the sixth minute against the Tigers marked her 11th goal of the year, matching the amount she scored during the 2020-21 season. It was also her 30th goal as a Wildcat, moving her up to No. 3 all-time in program history for career goals to be tied with Arin Gilliland.
Rhodes continues to lead UK in several categories: goals (11), assists (5), points (27), shots (58), and shots on goal (27). Her 11 goals is tied for second in the conference while her 27 points and 58 shots both sit in third.
Hannah Richardson follows Rhodes with eight goals — good enough to be tied for fifth 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 19 goals so far this season, which ranks fourth nationally for top scoring duos.
Between the posts, Laura Nielsen has recorded 80 saves and 4.44 saves per game to rank second in league standings in both categories. Her .784 save percentage is fourth amongst all SEC goalkeepers.
Tennessee will enter Thursday’s contest with a 14-2 mark on the year and are 7-2 in league play. The only two losses for the 12th-ranked Vols, who most recently posted a 3-1 victory over Georgia, came from Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
Three players in Claudia Dipasupil, Taylor Huff, and Jaida Thomas have recorded seven goals each on the year for the Vols, with 11 other players having found the back of the net at least once. Lindsey Romig has made 55 saves for a league-leading .846 save percentage in net.
Thursday will be the 31st meeting between the Wildcats and Vols in program history with Tennessee leading the all-time series record at 15-12-3. Kentucky will seek to level the record for games played in Knoxville, which also falls in the Vols’ favor at 6-5-1.
The last meeting between the two teams was on Oct. 18, 2020, in Lexington where Kentucky and Tennessee played to a 1-1 draw. The Wildcats’ goal came from Julia Grosso in the sixth minute for the equalizer, just four minutes after the Vols scored first.
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.
