LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky women’s soccer (3-1-0, 0-0-0 SEC) fell to Ohio State (2-0-1, 0-0-0 BIG 10) in Columbus on Thursday evening, 2-1. The Wildcats could not convert into offense despite having a converted penalty kick from Nadia Ramadan, two additional great looks on goal, and sophomore goalkeeper Megan Holland coming through with four saves.

Action was even towards the start of the first half with teams exchanging shots. However, it was Ohio State who saw the back of the net in the 26th minute of play due to a defensive error from the Wildcats.

Continuing to put pressure on Ohio State on both sides of the field, Kentucky saw multiple shots by freshman Amy Dekkers, freshman Kyla Dawn, and junior Lexi Tylenda.

Holland recorded two saves in the half, and the Kentucky defense of Katherine Truitt and Michelle Moskau held their own, leading Kentucky into the locker room trailing 1-0.

Coming back out, the Blue and White offense was staying up high. Dawn saw an early chance on a breakaway ball and things were back and forth.

Ten minutes into the second half, Dekkers found the back of the net on a corner kick service from Moskau. The Ohio State coaching staff used a challenge, which found that the ball glanced off the right arm of Dekkers and the goal was reversed in favor of the Buckeyes.

At the 72th minute mark, the Buckeyes’ offense broke through once again and extended their lead 2-0 on a cross from the right side.

In the 83rd minute, Ramadan saw the top of the crossbar on a corner sent in from Moskau.

The attack continued for the Wildcats, and Dawn’s arm was held back in the box. Coach Troy Fabiano decided to use one of his reviews where the officials found that she was held, rewarding Kentucky with a penalty in the 86th minute.

Ramadan, in her third penalty attempt on the year, converted from the spot to make things 2-1 and gave UK a spark of hope on the evening.

Despite the frantic effort to knot things up in the final four minutes of play, Kentucky was unable to capitalize on the opportunities and left the final score at 2-1.

Kentucky will return to The Bell on Sunday, Aug. 30 against Wright State at 7 p.m. ET before taking on in-state rival Louisville on Sep. 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Admission to all 2026 Kentucky Soccer regular season home matches will be free to the public. For the latest on UK Women’s Soccer, follow the Wildcats on Facebook, Instagram, X and at UKathletics.com.