Kentucky Knocked-Off by Auburn, 3-1
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Two second half goals were the difference as Kentucky women’s soccer (7-6-0, 0-5-0 SEC) was beaten by Auburn (5-3-5, 1-3-1 SEC), 3-1, on Thursday night at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
Kentucky put on a strong first-half display, scoring once and generating several more quality chances, but ultimately fell short in the second 45 minutes.
Fifth-year defender Maggy Henschler, who missed the Cats’ last contest due to an injury, scored UK’s lone goal in her return to the lineup. Senior goalkeeper Steph Stull came on in relief of Tallulah Miller in the 67th minute and made her first two saves of the season upon entry.
Auburn got on the board first in the 17th minute on a long-range goal by junior midfielder Anna Haddock, which redirected off a Kentucky defender before finding its way to the back of the net.
The Wildcats equalized less than 10 minutes later when Henschler scored her third of the year in the 26th minute to make it 1-1.
The goal came off of a Hannah Richardson corner when Auburn was unable to clear the initial ball in. Freshman Mallory Glass collected the failed attempt, found fellow midfielder Úlfa Úlfarsdóttir who, in turn, played a pass to Henschler for a right-footed blast.
Minutes later, UK nearly grabbed the lead off another corner kick as the ball pinballed in front of the Auburn net, with several Wildcats mustering attempts at the go-ahead goal before the danger ceased.
Kentucky again found itself on the doorstep of a second goal in the 38th minute when a set-piece from Peyton Rimko resulted in two-shots hitting the crossbar. Forward Hailey Farrington-Bentil had the initial attempt, directing a header off the crossbar before the ball found its way to the foot of freshman Mallory Glass for a second shot that hit the woodwork.
The score remained 1-1 at the half despite the Wildcats owning a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Following Kentucky’s seventh corner of the match in the 50th minute, momentum began to shift in favor of the visitors. The Tigers retook the lead in the 67th minute on a goal by M.E. Craven and doubled the advantage in the 75th minute when an attempted clearance by Henschler found its way into the Wildcats’ goal.
UK totaled three shots on target in the second half as Glass, Rafferty Kugler and Richardson each tested Auburn keeper Maddie Prohaska to no avail.
For the night, Henschler led the Cats with three total shots while Farrington-Bentil and Glass each had two.
Kentucky will have a two-day break before jumping right back into SEC action on the road this Sunday at South Carolina. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. with the game available for streaming on SECN+.
For the latest on UK Women’s Soccer, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @UKWomensSoccer, on Facebook and on the web at UKathletics.com.
