University of Washington
Kentucky
Huskies Battle But Fall In Season Opener
August 22, 2015 | Women's Soccer
LEXINGTON, Ky. – UW women's soccer gave up a goal late in the first half and couldn't find an equalizer as the Huskies fell 1-0 to Kentucky in their season opener Friday, Aug. 19, at the Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
“This is obviously not the result that we wanted,” UW head coach Lesle Gallimore said. “We knew that with all the new players and moving parts, the first game would show us what we have. I was super encouraged by the first 25 minutes. I thought we played great, we were all over them. We created but we weren't dangerous enough, and that's an issue that we will work on going forward.”
The Huskies came out firing, earning chances and dominating possession in the first portion of the first half. Dominique Bond-Flasza set up Shannon Simon in the 19th minute for a shot in the box that went just wide, and McKenzie Karas' header off a corner by Havana McElvaine was caught by the keeper in the 24th minute. As the half wore on, Kentucky held off the UW energy and started applying pressure of their own.
“Our starting lineup came out flying,” Gallimore said. “Some of the combinations we had with our midfielders and forwards, and our backs getting forward, and we were tough defensively - that's the type of play we need to apply to a full game.”
After the Wildcats earned a corner kick in the 39th minute, Kentucky midfielder Courtney Raetzman's service into the box squeaked past the Husky defense and into the back of the net as Raetzman was credited with the game's lone goal.
The Huskies came out in the second half and the teams each took their turns possessing in the midfield. Starting in the 65th minute, the Huskies got a flurry chances and came close to finding their equalizer. Freshman midfielder Kelcie Hedge got a great look in the box, but her shot went just beyond the far post. Soon after, Hedge found sophomore forward Rachel Wheeler in the box and her volley went right at Kentucky keeper Katelyn Jensen.
The Huskies had a nice build up between Hedge and Miranda Rawlings, leading to a header from Shannon Simon that forced a save, and in the 77th minute, midfielder Amanda Perez took a shot from outside the box that forced a diving save. Finally, freshman defender Jessica Udovich played a cross into the box in the 80th minute that forward Kimberly Keever attempted to finish with a header as she was taken down and her header sailed wide.
“Our movement between the midfield and the forwards was great at times,” Wheeler said. “We're getting there. That comes with playing together and team chemistry, and we work hard on both of those every day. We knew it would be a tough game, Kentucky is a great team. But I think we have a lot of promise if we keep building on the glimpses that we saw.”
Kentucky took its fair share of chances, forcing four saves from UW keeper Megan Kufeld, including a great save late in the second half on an open shot in the box to preserve the one-goal deficit.
A number of Huskies made their UW and collegiate debuts, including Hedge and Udovich, as well as freshman midfielder Pascale Dumesnil and redshirt freshman and UCLA transfer Sam Kokoska.
“I'd really like to see this team improve with on-field leadership,” Gallimore said. “We need to take control of the game. There was time and space to play, and really good spots to play the ball, but we just couldn't quite find those spots and had a few unfortunate turnovers. That said, I was encouraged by a lot of what happened tonight and we look forward to the quick turnaround on Sunday.”
The Huskies take on Louisville on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. ET, 10 a.m. PT to conclude their season-opening road trip. Watch the match with a paid subscription on GoCards.com. Fans can also follow the game with live stats or on Twitter at @UW_WSoccer.
For more on UW women's soccer, follow the Huskies on Facebook and on Snapchat, Periscope, Twitter and Instagram at @UW_WSoccer.
