Fourth-Seeded Cats Open Postseason Against Fifth-Seeded Arkansas in SEC Tournament Quarterfinals

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The fourth-seeded Kentucky women’s soccer team (8-5-3, 4-2-3 SEC) will begin its postseason slate in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament, facing fifth-seeded Arkansas (8-5-4, 5-2-3 SEC) at the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex in Pensacola, Fla., on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcast on SEC Network.

The Wildcats earned a record of 9-5-3, including a conference mark of 5-2-3. In the regular-season finale on Nov. 1, Kentucky took down then-No. 20 Arkansas, 3-0. The victory propelled the Cats into fourth in the SEC standings, earning them a first-round bye and their highest conference finish since 2014.

Kentucky is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the annual event after a stretch of only one appearance from 2016-2022. In the squad’s most recent SEC Tournament berth, the Cats took home a 1-0 win over Florida. Advancing to the quarterfinals, the 2025 team ultimately fell to third-seeded Georgia in a 5-4 penalty kick shootout following a 1-1 draw.

Last week, four Wildcats garnered SEC postseason honors. Freshman Kyla Dawn secured spots on both the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Freshman team. Elise Ernest joins Dawn, being named SEC All-Freshman. Junior midfielder Juliette Rayo added to her resume, picking up Second-Team All-SEC accolades. Defender Katherine Truitt was the last Wildcat to earn an SEC honor, taking her place on the All-SEC Third Team and being named to the SEC Community Service Team.

The Cats lead the all-time series record against Arkansas, going 14-11-2 over the past several decades. Kentucky’s 3-0 win over Arkansas on Nov. 1 was the first time the Cats have taken down Arkansas in Lexington since Sept. 27, 2015, and the most goals scored against the Razorbacks since Oct. 5, 2003.

As a team, Kentucky ranks in the top 25 nationally in five key offensive categories: scoring offense (9th NCAA, 3rd SEC, 2.59), total goals (15th NCAA, 3rd SEC, 45), goal differential (19th NCAA, 3rd SEC, 25), corner kicks per game (25th NCAA, 3rd SEC, 6.76) and points per game (25th NCAA, 3rd SEC, 6.53). Additionally, Kentucky is the only team to have three different players rank in the top 10 in the SEC in total goals: Kyla Dawn (4th, 11), Juliette Rayo (T8, 7) and Nadia Ramadan (T8, 7).

Sophomore goalkeeper Megan Holland was recognized as the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after her dynamic performances against then-No. 21 Auburn and Tennessee. Over the two matches, Holland recorded 12 saves and a shutout. The Illinois native notched a career high of six saves in both road battles. Throughout this campaign, the goalkeeper has logged six matches with five or more saves. With four shutouts on the season, Holland has an active shutout streak of three matches.  With 57 total saves on the season, Holland currently sits in second in the conference for total saves recorded and third in the SEC for saves per game, averaging 3.353 saves.

For her play in the comeback victory over No. 25 Texas, Elise Ernest was crowned SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday, Oct. 12. This is the third time the honor was picked up by a Wildcat, with Kyla Dawn supplying the other two. Both freshmen made immediate impacts at Kentucky, starting in every match this season. Dawn currently ranks 30th in the nation in total goals with 11, the third-most by a freshman in the NCAA and the second-most by a freshman in the SEC. In the conference, the Dallas native ranks fourth in both total goals and game-winning goals (4).

Also contributing at a high level is senior midfielder Nadia Ramadan. The transfer from Alabama has played in every single match this campaign, starting in 13 and scoring seven goals for the Wildcats. The consistent core for Kentucky is led by Katherine Truitt, Michelle Moskau, Juliette Rayo, Kendall Campbell and Lexi Tylenda, who each have started in every match and recorded over 1,000 minutes of play this campaign.

The Razorbacks have gone 8-5-4 this season with a 5-2-3 record in SEC play. After the 1-0 win over #12 Florida, the team has now advanced to its 11th consecutive quarterfinals at the SEC Tournament. Arkansas and Kentucky have not battled in the SEC Tournament since 1994.

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