Wildcats lose in first SEC bout of the season
LEXINGTON, Ky — Kentucky (5-2-2, 0-1-0 SEC) fell, 2-1 in double-overtime, to Auburn (4-3-1, 1-0-0 SEC) on Thursday night at The Bell. A goal by Hailey Whitaker in the 105th minute secured all three points for the Tigers in the first Southeastern Conference game for both teams.
Hannah Richardson scored her sixth goal in eight games early on in the fourth minute when a Julia Grosso corner kick found the foot of Hunter Koziara who tapped it over to Richardson who then chested the pass down in front of goal and found the back of the net to put the Wildcats up 1-0.
Jessie Gerow would score in the 81st minute to equalize for Auburn, sending the game into overtime. The rest is history as the Tigers’ Whitaker fired a strike from outside of the box past goalkeeper Steph Stull for the winner.
UK looked good in defense and attack for the majority of the night, and even with the occasional bad foul or misplaced pass, Kentucky showed major signs of improvement from a team that won one game in SEC play last year.
The Wildcats will now turn their attention to their final nonconference matchup of the season with Central Michigan on Sunday at 2 p.m. at The Bell.
Head Coach Ian Carry
“Obviously disappointed with the result tonight,” Kentucky head coach Ian Carry said. “I felt for 80 or so minutes that we were the better side and going into halftime, we were disappointed not to be two or three goals up because we had the opportunities in front of goal. Overall, I was satisfied with that first 45 minutes and then we come out and give away a couple of fouls in dangerous areas on the field. We just need to work on our discipline in those areas and we need to be more clinical in front of goal. We know in the SEC that if you make mistakes and switch off, the ball is going to end up in the back of the net. We’ll get back after it over the next couple of days and we look forward to Central Michigan on Sunday.”
Next Match:
Kentucky hosts Central Michigan on Sunday at 2 p.m. at The Bell to finish out its nonconference schedule.
Details of the Game:
Time: 7 p.m.
Weather: Clear
Date: 9/19/19
Stats:
Possession:
UK- 43%
AU- 57%
Shots:
UK- 10 (3)
AU- 12 (3)
Saves:
UK- 1
AU- 2
Fouls:
UK- 17
AU- 5
Corners:
UK- 7
AU- 2