By Kevin Erpenbeck

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This is not the same UK women’s soccer team that was seen at the beginning of the 2014 season. It’s not even the same team that was at the season’s high point after winning five straight games or the season low point just a week into October, where they were two games over .500.

This is a stronger, faster and overall better team.

The Cats have a look to them as they head into their final road trip of the year with a 10-5 record. But it’s more than just the winning record that defines them; it’s the way they’ve been winning.

UK faced a tough challenge after losing the first two games of October, sitting at 7-5 on the year with three of its next six games on the schedule against ranked opponents, including a match against SEC-powerhouse Florida.

But the Cats responded valiantly, winning their next three games (South Carolina, Ole Miss and No. 5 Florida) by a combined score of 6-0, and willed their way back into the conversation of hosting an NCAA Tournament game in November.

The beginning-of-the-year version of UK wouldn’t have had the inner strength to accomplish such a feat. The 7-5 version didn’t have the lineup to win in the fashion it did.

That’s why head coach Jon Lipsitz moved his players around the field, changing their positions, and effectively changing their mindset.

“Our kids made the decision that they’re going to be tough,” Lipsitz said. “We talk about toughness differently than the general public does. It’s a lot more than how hard you fight for the ball. It’s how hard you work and challenge each other, and what you’re willing to do to win. We’re finding an excuse to win now.”

Changes like moving senior Arin Gilliland from her forward position to a back-left defender allows UK to have a more superior defense, and gives speedy players like Zoe Swift the chance to spread out the frontline. It also gets vital players like senior midfielder Stuart Pope more involved with the offense as a forward, proven by her first goal of the season in the win against Florida.

A lineup change that drastic can be nerve-racking for an unprepared team. But these Cats are more prepared than ever before.

“No one had any question about it,” said Gilliland of Lipsitz’s changes. “Everyone in this program can play any position… Be universal. That’s how we’re taught from Day 1, and that’s what we are. That’s why (the lineup change) works for us.”

The change has made the Cats physically stronger and faster on the field. But the way they’ve responded to the challenges they’ve faced recently have changed their mindset and competitive attitude.

And they’re a better, more complete looking team now because of it.