Kentucky Suffers 1-0 Setback at Florida on Thursday
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A goal early into the first overtime period made the difference as the University of Kentucky women’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to Florida on Thursday evening at Donald R. Dizney Stadium in Gainesville.
Following the loss, the Wildcats fall to 6-3-2 (0-2) on the year while the Gators move to 2-5-3 (1-0-1).
Kentucky found itself with several opportunities after outshooting Florida 10-4 during the opening frame, but were unable to get past Gators’ goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg. A pair of shots on target from Hannah Richardson put UK in good position to take the lead, but her attempts were denied to keep the scoreboard empty heading into the break.
The Wildcats continued pressing, firing off nine more shots throughout the second half. Florida had a chance to score off a set piece late in regulation before the attempt was punched out by Laura Nielsen, and a last-minute strike from Julia Grosso was once again stopped by Goldberg.
Julianne Leskauskas found the golden goal for the Gators in the 92nd minute. Behind Richardson’s game-high five attempts, Kentucky concluded the match with 19 shots to Florida’s 13.
The Wildcats return to the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex on Sunday, Sept. 26 as they host South Carolina for a 2 p.m. ET matchup.
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.
