Kentucky women’s soccer defeated Murray State by a score of 1-0 on Thursday night, bringing its record to 6-0 and giving head coach Troy Fabiano his best start since he took over the team in 2022.

“I think having a new team, you want to improve each game, right?” Fabiano said. “But sometimes you don’t get the results, so getting the results helps.”  

The last time the Cats had a better start to the season was all the way back in 2011 when the team started 7-0 before falling to No. 24 Dayton. They would finish the season with a record of 13-7-1 after falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

 With that in mind, if Kentucky wants to match that start this season it will have to conquer No. 9 UCLA in its biggest test of the season on Sunday.

“Sunday we’ll be tested by a different monster,” Fabiano said. 

If the Cats can win that matchup, they will have a chance to outdo their start from 2011 in a match against Kent State. After that, the Cats will go on to conference play. 

With great performances so far by players like Makala Woods and Maddie Kemp as well as contributions from new freshmen, the new team has the potential for a truly great season. 

“It’s a fun group to work with,” Fabiano said. “They keep getting better and that’s all we can ask of them right now.” 

The Cats will face No. 9 UCLA this Sunday at the Bell Soccer Complex. Kickoff will be at noon ET.