KENTUCKY Wildcats Soccer finished the 2007 season with a record 10-7-3 and qualified for its 15th straight SEC Tournament. UK Women's Soccer played 3 Top 20 teams in their first 4 games of the 2008 season (losing each of them). The Wildcats return four of their top five scorers, as well as seven starters, from last year's squad.
Senior captain Kelsey Fenix is back, after being voted a first team All-SEC performer. Fenix, a senior from Westlake, Ohio, battled through an injury plagued senior season last year, finishing with two goals and an assist, including the game-winning goal against the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks. The Wildcats posted a 10-2-2 record in games where Fenix saw action, and they were 0-4-1 in games without her.
Freshman goalie Sydney Hiance was chosen a Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week. Hiance, a native of Ft. Thomas, Ky., posted back-to-back shutouts for the Wildcats, helping UK to a 1-0 victory over Morehead State. Wildcat goalies rank third in the league and 17th nationally with a 0.46 goals-against-average. Hiance received her first collegiate start against Marshall on Sept. 16 and started both matches, replacing injured Wildcat goalie Laura Baker.
The 2008 campaign marks head coach Warren Lipka's 17th women's soccer season at the University of Kentucky since its inception in 1992. Lipka, one of the pioneers responsible for the dawn of women's soccer as a varsity sport at UK, has ascended the program from club team status to its current level of national prominence.
2007 discussion: The Lady Wildcats had an impressive 2006 season, coming back from a dismal season in 2005 to score a 14-7-3 record last season with wins over Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee. They were SEC Tournament Champions and received an NCAA tournament bid. Kentucky Wildcats Soccer also went nearly undefeated at home. Due to their strong fan base and pride, the Lady Cats are tough home competitors, and it is likely they will win the majority of their home games once again this year.
One of the key Kentucky Wildcats Soccer players last season was goalkeeper Anne Ogundele, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week and led the team to several shutouts, more than any other goalie in Kentucky history.
After losing Ogundele, the ladies of UK are looking to new players to take over her position at the goal. Both freshmen Sydney Hilance and Becky Davenport are going to fight it out to be the goalkeeper this year. However, Ogundele is a big loss for Kentucky Wildcats Soccer and she will be tough to replace - especially with freshmen.
Prediction: 4th in the SEC East.
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2007 Kentucky Wildcats Soccer Schedule (Women's):
August 31 Purdue 5:30 PM Away
September 2 Loyola-Chicago 1:00 PM Away
September 5 Evansville 7:00 PM Home
September 7 Bowling Green 7:00 PM Home
September 9 Ohio Noon Home
September 16 Marshall 2:00 PM Away
September 20 Morehead State 7:00 PM Home
September 23 Louisville 2:30 PM Away
September 28 Auburn 8:00 PM Away
September 30 Alabama 1:00 PM Away
October 5 South Carolina 7:00 PM Away
October 7 Florida Noon Away
October 12 Tennessee 7:00 PM Home
October 14 Georgia 1:00 PM Home
October 19 Arkansas 7:00 PM Home
October 21 LSU 1:00 PM Home
October 25 Mississippi State 8:00 PM Away
October 28 Ole Miss 1:00 PM Home
November2 Vanderbilt 8:00 PM Away
2007 Kentucky Wildcats Soccer Roster (Women's):
Sydney Hilance GK
Laura Baker GK
Becky Davenport GK
Caitlin Coughlin M/D
Kate Rowlands F
Rachel Ulrich M
Laura Speer D/M
Sarah Gaunt M
Chelsea Ford M/D
Julie Hull D/M
Kelsey Fenix M
Nicola Holdsworth M
Kristin Kover D/M
Callie Lanphier F
Laura Navikoff F
Megan Jones M/F
Katie Fahey F/D
Nathalie Bolder D/M
Kate Hughes D
Cindy Abbott F
Alicia Browning F
Kelly Browning D/M
Cassie Phillips D/M
Ashley Stack M/D
Stefani Kildare F
Giuleana Lopez F
Tara Herold D
Dana Dahlmann D
Kelly Miller D/M
Samantha Au M/F
The University of Kentucky is unusual [especially in the Southeastern Conference (SEC)] because it has both men's and women's soccer teams. Actually, the Wildcats men's soccer team does not compete in the SEC as the SEC has no men's soccer league. Instead, they compete in Conference USA.
The UK men's soccer team is coached by Ian Collins, who was voted Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year three times and NSCAA Mideast Region Coach of the year once and is in his fifteenth year with the men of UK. The men have been a permanent fixture on both the regional and national level and joined the competitive Conference USA in 2001 after winning four conference championships in the Mid-American Conference.
Many of last season's wins were thanks to power player Michael D'Agositino, who was one of the few players for Kentucky to have over six goals and assists. D'Agositino was also on the first-team All Conference USA and the NSCAA first-team for the All-Midwest Region. Ranked eighteenth in the nation by Soccer Times, the UK men were not able to snag an invite to the NCAA Tournament, but did make it to the semi-finals at the Conference USA Tournament.
After losing superstar midfielder D'Agostino, the men of Kentucky are going to have to look to seniors Andrew Alexander and Masumi Tumbull to work the ball this year. Both players were able to rack up significant playing time in 2006 and are expected to do well this season.
Junior goalkeeper Matt Troop became the starter last season after being redshirted for a year. Even with their losses, the men of UK should have no problem earning another winning season this year, but they may not be able to take the cake come tournament time
Former UK men's player D'Agostino was just slated to play in the FIFA U-20 World Cup representing Canada, a huge honor for any young player. The UK men are not just excelling on the soccer field either; more than half of the team was recently named on the Conference USA Commissioners Academic Honor Roll for the second year in a row for maintaining a 3.0 grade-point average or above.
2007 Kentucky Wildcats Soccer Schedule (Men's):
August 20 Dayton [Exhibition]7:00 PM Home
August 25 West Virginia [Exhibition]7:00 PM Away
August 31 Cornell 7:30 PM Home
September 2 UNC-Asheville 2:30 PM Home
September 6 Louisville 7:00 PM Home
September 9 Cleveland State 2:30 PM Home
September 14 Michigan 7:30 PM Away
September 16 Michigan State Noon Away
September 21 Eastern Illinois 7:00 PM Home
September 23 Akron 2:00 PM Away
September 29 Western Kentucky 8:00 PM Away
October 6 UAB 7:00 PM Home
October 10 Tulsa 7:00 PM Home
October 13 Memphis 8:00 PM Away
October 17 Central Florida 7:00 PM Away
October 24 Marshall 7:00 PM Home
October 27 Florida International 7:00 PM Away
October 31 Indiana 7:00 PM Home
November 3 SMU 7:00 PM Home
November 9 South Carolina 7:00 PM Away
2007 Kentucky Wildcats Soccer Roster (Men's):
Dan Williams GK
Brad Frederick D
Bingy Lara MF
Andrew Alexander MF
Masumi Turnbull MF
Jase Griffiths MF
Mark Halma F
Matt Weller D
Keith Realing D
Karl Waasdorp F
Patrick Conyea MF
Jon Townsend MF
Nathan Marks D
Barry Rice D
Adam Midkiff MF
Matt Troop GK
Grant Ward GK
Ryan Jones GK
Reid Baker F/D
Ryan Blackwell MF
Tyler Clark F
Peter Leonhard GK
Joseph Penney F
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