Kentucky women’s soccer (9-4-1, 3-2-1 SEC) hosted Vanderbilt (9-3-1, 3-2-1 SEC) this past weekend, with the Wildcats falling short in a 2-1 loss.
Both teams came out aggressively, with constant possession changes and several fouls called from the start of the match.
Just two minutes into the match, Kentucky goalkeeper Khadijah Cissé made a big one-on-one save to keep the score 0-0.
At the end of the first half, both teams were still scoreless and unsuccessful with any shots on target.
The second half started with freshman Gabi Poretto of the Wildcats getting an opportunity to shoot on target, but she barely missed the back of the net as the ball hit the crossbar.
With 25 minutes left in the second half, Vanderbilt succeeded in getting the ball behind the net on a goal by junior Sydney Watts.
The Wildcats did not give up; their energy remained high as the back line pressed offensively to help the forwards get one behind the net. Sophomore Alexis Tylenda scored with an assist from sophomore Abigail Satger to tie the match 1-1.
Just two minutes after the Wildcats scored, Watts netted her second goal of the match, beating Cissé one-on-one to give Vanderbilt a 2-1 lead over the Wildcats.
The second half was much more physical than the first, with three yellow cards given to Vanderbilt’s Grace Freeman and Margo Matula. For the Wildcats, Anna Sikorski received a card with just six minutes left in the match.
Junior defender Grace Hoytink helped hold up the back line for the Wildcats. Throughout the match, the defenders and goalkeeper Cissé made several good blocks and saves.
“I thought we actually did pretty good overall. For the back line, like I said, we talked about it being just two mistakes, but other than that, pretty good performance,” Hoytink said.
Looking ahead, Cissé said the team’s focus is on tightening things up defensively.
“I think for the next game, we just have to improve on our defending in the back and recognizing when to jump or when to stay back and delay…but I don’t think we played badly. It was only those two mistakes that cost us the game,” Cissé said.
“I think we really need to learn from those mistakes, because it’s not the first time it has happened, and it should not be happening again. It was not like we got battered either — like they punched us, we punched back…unfortunately, they got the last hit and that’s it,” she said.
A native of Montreal, Quebec, Cissé has had a successful career so far. She started playing soccer at a young age and fell in love with goalkeeping.
“I started playing soccer at two years old because I had too much energy. I started playing at striker, then I went back to center back, and then I went to goalkeeper. I’ve been a goalkeeper for like nine years now, so it’s been a little while,” Cissé said.
Cissé decided to come to the United States to attend an American university so she could fully experience being a student-athlete. She would be a full-time student, attend classes and play soccer for her school.
“I came to Kentucky because in Canada, we don’t have that much of an experience, and we don’t have that much like experience to be an athlete and a student,” she said.
Beyond student life, Cissé came to the U.S. hoping for better career opportunities after graduation.
“We didn’t have a pro league when I committed in Canada, but now that we do, it’s kind of like, well, they don’t take a lot of players from America now. So to me, coming to America was kind of like a passage to go pro,” Cissé said.
While being a full-time student-athlete and the No. 1 goalkeeper for the Wildcats, she also has other priorities back home.
She is part of the Canada U-17 Women’s National Team, which has qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and will play in the tournament this upcoming week.
“I’m leaving tomorrow at 6 a.m. I’m going to Canada, and we’re playing in the U-17 World Cup in Morocco. So I’m really excited, and we have a pretty good group. We have Samoa, Nigeria and France,” Cissé said.
“I’m going to be battling for the No. 1 spot, which I’m happy to do. I get to see all of my friends from back home, so I’m really excited to go.”
Cissé and the Wildcats will return to action Friday, Oct. 10, traveling to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on Ole Miss. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. EST and will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
