Kentucky women’s soccer drops final non-conference match, heads into SEC on back-to-back losses

Kentucky women’s soccer entered Sunday’s match looking to close nonconference play on a high note. Instead, the Wildcats came up short, falling 2-1 to Bowling Green State University on Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Bell Soccer Complex. Entering Sunday’s match, Kentucky held a 4-2-0 record compared to Bowling Green’s 2-1-1 record on the season. Kentucky also held the all-time series advantage over Bowling Green, going 1-0-1 and outscoring the Falcons 7-3 in previous matches. The Falcons claimed an early lead 18 minutes into the game when Audrey Oliver scored the first goal of the match off a volley from the top of the box. The Wildcats struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the opening half, trailing at halftime by the early goal. In the second half, the Wildcats finally responded when freshman Kyla Dawn scored in the 61st minute to tie up the match 1-1. The tie was short-lived, however, when Bowling Green regained the lead in the 86th minute when Lizzie Bultnyck headed the ball into the back of the net off of a delivery from an Emme Butera free kick. The free kick, one that was roughly 40 yards out, was from a foul and yellow card on Dawn. COLUMN: 1-1 draw with Evansville exposes Kentucky men’s soccer’s season-long struggle to capitalize Battle of the Bluegrass rivalry continues after Kentucky women's soccer's 2-1 loss to Louisville Portal payoff: Transfers shine early for Kentucky women's soccer In the final minutes of the game, the Falcons held on to secure the victory. Kentucky kicked off the season with a strong offensive start, scoring 27 goals throughout the first six games. However, the offensive struggles are starting to come at a crucial point in Kentucky’s season. The Wildcats were put to the ultimate test in the two last nonconference games, where they only scored two combined goals. Kentucky will leave the nonconference portion of their schedule with a 4-3-0 record as today’s loss marked Kentucky’s second consecutive 2-1 defeat. Kentucky will look to get back on track heading straight into conference play. Kentucky head coach Troy Fabiano acknowledged that changes will need to be made as the Wildcats prepare for upcoming SEC matches. He noted the team struggled with discipline on set pieces, which was identified as a deciding factor in Sunday’s match. Despite the loss, he expressed confidence in the team’s ability to respond with adversity heading into their next match. Kentucky will now turn its attention to SEC play as it is set to take on Texas A&M on Friday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m. EST at the Bell Soccer Complex.