Kentucky women’s soccer kicks off opening week with two shutout victories

Following an impressive season in 2024, Kentucky women’s soccer is picking up right where it left off in 2025.

On Sunday afternoon in Lexington, the Wildcats (2-0-0) finished off a terrific opening week of play by taking down West Georgia 7-0 in what was Senior Day at the Bell. Seven goals, fueled by six different scorers, marked the sixth-most in a single match in program history. Kentucky, which outshot West Georgia 28-0 and controlled 70 percent of the possession, also extended its home match winning streak to 16, which dates back to Oct. 2023.

Seniors Thalia Morisi, Skye Leach, and Catherine Rapp combined for three goals and two assists in the shutout. UK’s first goal came before 60 seconds could run off the clock, as six of the Wildcats’ seven points happened within the opening 36 minutes of the match. Four players scored their first college goals, as well.

But before Kentucky could smack West Georgia, they had to take care of Jackson State in the season-opener on Thursday — and that’s exactly what happened. The Wildcats recorded a 4-0 shutout over the Tigers in a similarly dominating fashion. UK squeezed off 25 shots and controlled 69 percent of the overall possession. Jackson State was only able to fire off a single shot in the defeat.

Kentucky came into the opening week receiving votes in the top 25 poll. Kicking off the season with back-to-back shutouts is a great way to keep the early momentum rolling. The Wildcats return to the pitch on Thursday when they host East Tennessee State at 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network+. It’ll be the third of nine straight home games to open the schedule for UK.

Could we be in for another postseason run from head coach Troy Fabiano and his Wildcats? Kentucky made it to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2014. Over half of the roster features new faces, and 78 percent of last season’s scoring left the team, but with six Wildcats on the 2025 SEC Preseason Watch List, there is reason to believe even more success is on the way.