By Alex Mackey
UK women’s soccer head coach Jon Lipsitz described the team’s season with one word: “uneven.â€
Lipsitz said the team’s attack and effort level was inconsistent; they would play well and be exhausted after one game and would slack during the next game.
The Cats’ season came to a close when they lost to Vanderbilt 2-0 on Oct. 30. The team’s final record was 5-10-4 with a 2-8-1 mark in the Southeastern Conference. Lipsitz said he thought that the team played very well against Vanderbilt.
“The whole season I talked about how games are won in moments,†Lipsitz said. “We had our moments, Vandy seized their moments and we didn’t.â€
The Cats were ranked 11th in the preseason SEC poll and faced a conference schedule that featured two top 25 teams. Lipsitz said they played their best soccer in a 2-1 win against Auburn.
The main problem with the Cats this season was a lack of scoring. They scored 10 goals in their 19 games. Lipsitz took the blame for the offensive struggles on himself.
In his first year as coach, Lipsitz said he learned a lot about the players on the team, the SEC and the strengths and weaknesses of his team. He also came to love UK fans. His favorite moment this season was looking into the stands after the national anthem during the Louisville game and seeing all of the fans pouring into the stands.
Even though the season just ended last week, Lipsitz is already looking forward to next season. While he is excited, he said there are some things that need to change.
“I don’t like coaching effort, I expect my players to bring it,†Lipsitz said. “And I feel like I spent a lot of time coaching effort instead of technique.â€
Lipsitz is expecting even more new players to join the team next year, and five players who didn’t see the field this year are expected back. The team will look to strength and conditioning in the winter and spring to prepare for next season.
“The good thing about the winter and spring is about development, not winning and losing,†Lipstiz said.
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