By Kevin Erpenbeck

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The Cats have one last game on their nonconference schedule, and it will be their toughest one yet.

UK will put its five-game winning streak on the line when No. 16 Pepperdine comes to Lexington on Sunday. While the Cats have been impressive during their nonconference portion of the season, Pepperdine has been even better.

The Waves were undefeated in their first five games of the season before falling to the reigning NCAA champion UCLA on Sept. 7. During the perfect streak, Pepperdine notched a win against then No. 9 North Carolina, a perennial powerhouse program in women’s soccer.

Outside of the UCLA loss, Pepperdine has only given up one goal to its opponents while scoring eight of its own. The Waves suffocating defense has created problems for their opponents, and it could cause problems for the Cats as well.

But UK has had defensive success of its own. It’s been 367 minutes of soccer since the last goal was given up by the Cats, with freshman goalkeeper Taylor Braun recording 12 saves on the season. Braun has stepped up to the task of heading the Cats’ strong defensive line and assured head coach Jon Lipsitz’s choice of starting a freshman goalie was the right one.

“It’s a great feeling to be starting for an awesome program like (UK),” Braun said. “I’ve been working hard all summer to be here, and we worked really hard in the preseason to get where we are. I want to continue to be a big leader for this team and keep getting shutouts so we can get the wins we need.”

Lipsitz knows this game won’t be easy. But an opponent as strong as Pepperdine could be just what the Cats need to truly test how good they are, and if their strong nonconference showing can carry on down the season.

“We have to do well when it comes to the tiny details, both offensively and defensively,” Lipsitz said. “That’s how you prepare for a special team like Pepperdine.”