Kentucky Eliminated in Shootout at (6) Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After a 1-1 draw in regulation, Kentucky (12-4-5, 5-2-3 SEC) saw its season end in penalty kicks, falling 5-4 in the shootout to (6) Louisville (13-4-3, 6-2-2 ACC) in the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship.
The Wildcats made their 13th appearance in the tournament and now hold a 3-11-4 record in the event. Kentucky is now 2-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament shootouts.
Neither team scored in the opening half of play, with the Wildcats holding the best chance of the first 45 minutes. In the 24th minute, Alexis Tylenda found the ball at her feet in the middle of the box and saw her shot hit the crossbar with Thalia Morisi having her rebound shot blocked just before the goal line.
Kentucky broke the deadlock early in the second half, with Grace Hoytink delivering a perfect ball to Morisi off a corner kick in the 47th minute. The Massapequa Park, N.Y. native rised above the Louisville defense and headed the ball home for her seventh goal of the season. The Wildcats finished the year with four different players with seven goals scored, with Morisi joining Tylenda, Catherine Rapp, and Anna Sikorski.
The Wildcats nearly doubled the lead on multiple occasions, with Kentucky’s best chance at a second goal coming in the 68th minute. Rapp found the ball at the top of the 18 after a corner kick and delivered a beautiful, one-time strike that forced a diving save from Louisville keeper Erynn Floyd.
The Wildcats were nearly home when Louisville equalized, as Ameila Swinarski dribbled through traffic at the top of the box and slotted a shot home in the 79th minute.
Kentucky would defend well in the final ten minutes of regulation to extend the match to overtime. Kentucky goalkeeper Khadijah Cissé posted a career-high nine saves in the match.
In overtime, neither team threatened much, with Kentucky finding its best look in the second overtime period. In the 104th minute, Wildcat buildup created three shots, including a header from Sikorski that went just wide.
After a deadlocked, 110 minutes of play, the match went to penalties. An eight-round shootout ensued, with Cissé making a pair of clutch saves in the third and sixth rounds to extend the shootout on multiple occasions. In the end, a Wildcat miss and Louisville goal in the eighth round would give the Cardinals the 5-4 shootout victory.
The Wildcats finish the season with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, 12 wins, 18 SEE points, and a fifth-place SEC finish—all bests for the program since 2014.
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