Kentucky Opens NCAA Tournament at (6) Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Making its second consecutive NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship appearance, Kentucky (12-4-4, 5-2-3 SEC) will open its 2025 postseason run against in-state rival and No. 6 seed Louisville (13-4-2, 6-2-2 ACC). The two teams are set for a maiden postseason meeting and will reignite a series that has been dormant since 2018.
The First Round match is set for a 2 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday, November 15 from the Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium in Louisville. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can purchase tickets at this link.
Kentucky earned the program’s 13th bid to the NCAA Tournament on Monday, advancing to the big dance for the second year in a row after a nine-year hiatus from 2015-2023. The Wildcats posted the most successful regular season in the four-year tenue of head coach Troy Fabiano, recording 12 wins, 18 SEC points, a fifth place SEC finish, three top 25 wins, and one top ten win.
The Wildcats enter postseason play unbeaten in their last six matches, posting a 3-0-3 record in that stretch. Kentucky advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament last week, defeating Florida in the First Round before being eliminated on penalties after a 1-1 draw against No. 17 Georgia.
In Pensacola, senior midfielder Catherine Rapp scored both of Kentucky’s goals, tying her with Alexis Tylenda and Anna Sikorski for the team lead at seven apiece. Rapp also leads the team with 20 points scored.
Kentucky will play their fifth consecutive match away from the Bell Soccer Complex on Saturday, posting a 2-1-4 record in matches away from home this season. In true road matches, Kentucky is 1-1-3.
Three Wildcats earned All-SEC recognition this season, led by junior defender Grace Hoytink on the All-SEC Second Team. Junior midfielder Tanner Strickland garnered a spot on the All-SEC Third Team and defender Gabi Poretto was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
Louisville enters the match ranked No. 20 in both the United Soccer Coaches and Top Drawer Soccer polls. The Cardinals are making their first NCAA appearance since 2019 and finished ACC play in a tie for fourth place.
Kentucky and Louisville will play for the first time in seven seasons on Saturday, with Kentucky holding a 12-4-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Cats also hold a 5-2-1 advantage in matches played in Louisville.
The winner of Saturday’s match will advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament against either (3) Kansas or Cal Baptist on Thursday, November 20. Second and Third Round matches will be played on the same weekend and will be hosted by the highest seed in the four-team pod.
For the latest on UK Women’s Soccer, follow the Wildcats on Facebook, Instagram, X and at UKathletics.com.
