LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University soccer team, coming off an eight-month hiatus away from the pitch, fell in its season opener against Kentucky by a close score of 1-0 on Thursday night under the lights at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
 
The Colonels (0-1-0) displayed a valiant effort on both sides of the pitch in the second half nearly equalizing the match in the 74th minute. All three of EKU's shots in Thursday's contest against the Wildcats (1-0-0) were on target.
 
"A lot of positives tonight, anytime you go in and expect to win, you want to get a result," said EKU head coach Matt Cosinuke. "Coming and testing ourselves right out of the gate on the road against a SEC (Southeastern Conference) opponent, holding them to only a few dangerous moments. We have a lot to be proud of, especially our growth from the first half to the second half, when you go and play the best, they are going to punish you on your mistakes, and they did. I'm really proud of our group for their effort, grit, we are going to reflect in this moment and shift our focus to Western Michigan on Sunday."
 
Marah Krick, EKU's highlight on the defensive side of the ball, tallied two emphatic saves on 14 shots faced to keep the home team's score at a one-goal advantage throughout the match. Thursday's start was her first appearance in net since Oct. 26, 2021 against Stetson.
 
Kentucky opened the first six minutes of action capitalizing on EKU's mistakes with three shots on target and three corner attempts. The Colonels countered their attack going on their own run seconds later, junior forward Gretta Gunn fired EKU's first shot of the season that found the UK keeper off her line, however, fell into her gloves.
 
Both teams traded possession for the next 15 minutes until the Wildcats took the advantage off a textbook cross that found the head of UK's Jordyn Rhodes and placed in the back of the net.
 
EKU shifted tactics out of the half, allowing senior midfielder Kylie Fitzgerald to break loose and strike her first shot on goal of the season (55'), saved high by the Kentucky keeper. 
 
The Colonels neared the equalizer in the 74th minute as sophomore forward Maddy Murphy caught a threw ball and broke past three defenders. The Terrace Park, Ohio, native struck EKU's third attempt on frame, narrowly saved by the home keeper to keep the Colonels out of the scoring column.
 
EKU applied eight substitutions in the final 12 minutes of play, but were unable to find an opportunity to equal the score to end in a gritty 1-0 decision in Lexington.
 
Kentucky claimed the advantage on Thursday night in shots (14-3), corners (10-1), and saves (4-3).
 
A total of 23 Colonels appeared in Thursday night's contest, including Chiara Premoli, Jessica Dodd, Kaia Griffin, Paula Herranz, Rachel Robinson, Ruby Dunlevy, and Sophie MacAlpine, who all made their EKU debuts in the loss.
 
EKU returns to Richmond for its home opener at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 20 against Western Michigan at the EKU Soccer Field.