Kentucky women’s soccer is gearing up for the 2024 season, which kicks off tonight, August 15, at The Bell versus Central Michigan.
The Cats’ 18-match regular season schedule was released in full, displaying eight teams from the previous NCAA Tournament, including the highly anticipated non-conference matchup in Lexington against UCLA, the 2022 NCAA Champions.
For the 2024 operation, the Wildcats have added 16 freshman players to their roster. Hailing from 12 different states across the country, the young stars will look to make a name for themselves in blue and white alongside a flurry of veteran talents.
The squad, along with head coach Troy Fabiano, who is entering his third year at the helm of the Cats, expressed a readiness for the season, which has arrived fast before students have even began classes at UK.
“Seems like it goes by quick,” Fabiano said. “That’s the joys of college athletics these days. The biggest thing for us is can we still continue to build momentum during the non-conference as we prepare for the SEC because once we get to the SEC it’s a huge grind.”
Despite so much new on all sides of the ball, including the attack which will be without all-time UK leading scorer Jordyn Rhodes for the first time, Fabiano was pleased with the work the team put in during the offseason and during both its exhibitions, one against Xavier and the other against professional women’s soccer club Lexington SC.
“Just seeing the growth from the first game,” Fabiano said after the Xavier scrimmage. “The second game was pleasantly surprising, I would say because we have so many new faces. I felt the energy from the stands from the fans (against) Xavier was like a regular game experience. We were really happy to be put in that environment as we prepare for Thursday.”
The Wildcats’ season open is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will air live on the SEC Network+ against the Central Michigan Chippewas as they hope to build on a strong 2023 campaign.
