Women’s Soccer Places Five on SEC Preseason Watchlist
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Southeastern Conference announced its 2024 Preseason Watchlist on Wednesday, naming five Wildcats ahead of the 2024 season.
Marzia Josephson, Maddie Kemp, Sophia Mattice, Grace Phillpotts, and Makala Woods all represent the Wildcats and are five of – student-athletes recognized by the conference overall. It is Josephson’s second time on the watchlist with the remainder of the group making their debuts.
Josephson, who spent four years in Chapel Hill from 2019-2022 reaching two NCAA finals played all 1730 minutes of the 2023 season between the sticks for the Wildcats. The graduate transfer finished 2023 with a career-high 52 saves and finished the year with a 0.62 goals against average, the third-best mark in program history. Josephson had nine shutouts on the season, tied for the second-most ever by a Kentucky goalkeeper in a single season.
Kemp, a graduate transfer who spent the last four seasons with Gonzaga is set for her first season in the Bluegrass. The forward started in 20 games for the Zags in 2023 scoring nine goals and tallying five assists. The Camas, Washington native ranked first on the team with 35 shots on goal and second with 23 points earning second-team All-WCC honors.
Mattice, also a graduate transfer from the West Coast spent the last four seasons at Portland where she was an All-WCC Freshman and All-WCC Honorable Mention in 2022. Last season she started in 16 matches scoring a career-high three goals off 10 shots on goal and notched three assists.
Phillpotts makes her first appearance on the watchlist after earning Second Team All-SEC honors last season. The Michigan native was also named a United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Southeast Region honoree after starting all 19 matches on the season. Her four assists tied for the second most on the team in 2023.
Woods, a graduate transfer from Illinois joins the Wildcats after spending the last four years in Champaign, starting all 17 matches for the Fighting Illini. In 2023 she tied her career-high of three goals and picked up three assists, a career-best.
The Wildcats kick off the 2024 season against Central Michigan on Thursday, August 15th at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase here.
For the latest on UK Women’s Soccer, follow the Wildcats on Facebook, Instagram, X and at UKathletics.com.
