Rayo Scores as Kentucky Falls to Louisville, 2-1

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky women’s soccer (4-2-0, 0-0-0 SEC) battled back in the second half, but ultimately fell to Louisville (5-1-0, 0-0-0 ACC), 2-1, Thursday night at Bell Soccer Complex.

Kentucky struggled to find advantage early, as Louisville raced to every ball just ahead of the Wildcats. Ten minutes into the match, they nearly converted a goal, but senior Katherine Truitt was on the line to save a goal and Holland came up with a huge deflection.

The Cardinals controlled the first half, as the Wildcats found themselves in a 2-0 hole at halftime after Louisville’s Karina Peat scored twice in a four-minute span. Peat opened the scoring in the 23rd minute off assists from Amelia Swinarski and Liza Suydam before finding the back of the net again in the 26th minute following a feed from Nicole Jodoin.

Kentucky responded energetically with increased pressure in the second half, outshooting Louisville, 7-5, after being outshot 9-3 in the opening 45 minutes. The Wildcats also earned three second-half corner kicks and put four shots on target in the period.

The Wildcats broke through in the 83rd minute when sophomore Juliette Rayo found the back of the net for her fifth goal of the season. Rayo’s goal cut the deficit to one and gave Kentucky momentum late, but the Wildcats were unable to find an equalizer in the final eight minutes.

Rayo finished with three shots, including one on target, while Arendarczyk registered two shots on goal. Megan Holland made five saves for Kentucky, including three in the second half, to keep the Wildcats within striking distance late.

Megan Holland made four saves in goal for the Wildcats, including three in the second half, while Louisville goalkeeper Brielle Baker recorded four saves.

Kentucky and Louisville each finished with five corner kicks, while the Cardinals held a 14-10 edge in shots and a 7-5 advantage in shots on goal.

The Wildcats will regroup and return to the Bell on Sunday for senior day against Bowling Green at 1 p.m. ET as they celebrate Nadia Ramadan, Katherine Truitt, and Isabella Winton.

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.