Following a dominant performance in the home opener against Marshall on Sunday, the UK women’s soccer team continued their fine form on Thursday night, thumping Louisiana Lafayette 5-0 at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Complex.

Thursday night’s match was the first in program history between the Wildcats and Ragin’ Cajuns. The Wildcats entered with a 1-0-1 record, having drawn 1-1 with Purdue in the season opener, followed by a Jordyn Rhodes hat-trick to propel UK past Marshall 3-0. 

UL Lafayette walked into The Bell with a 1-1-0 record, having defeated Prairie View 1-0 via an own-goal in the season opener, then losing 2-0 against Mississippi State in Starkville on Sunday.

The Cats stepped on the gas from the get-go and never looked back. 

UL Lafayette goalkeeper Libby Harper had a busy first 45 minutes, as the Cats peppered the sophomore with 10 shots, six of which were on target.

Marissa Bosco got the party started in the ninth minute, as she slotted away a Miranda Jimenez pass to put Kentucky up 1-0. The goal was the first of the season for the fifth-year forward out of St. Charles, Illinois.

The Cats would continue to push the pace, eventually finding their second goal of the night, courtesy of Hannah Richardson. a string of passes from midfielders Úlfa Úlfarsdóttir and Maria Olsen led Richardson to a one-on-one chance that she wouldn’t miss. The goal was the second of the season for Richardson, as she scored the Wildcats’ lone goal of the season opener against Purdue. 

Kentucky freshman goalkeeper Laura Nielsen faced just one shot on goal in the first half. The Wildcats just edged the Ragin’ Cajuns in possession, 51 to 49 percent. 

The second half would see more of the same from Kentucky. After a fast first ten minutes, a Lafayette clearance would go errant, as a ULL defender headed a ball into her own net, propelling the Wildcat lead to 3-0.

Just ten minutes later, Úlfarsdóttir would create her second assist of the night, as she whipped a ball into the box that found the boot of Jordyn Rhodes, squeezing the ball past the goalie Harper, padding the UK cushion to four. 

As the match edged closer to it’s end, Richardson would march down to the ULL box and score her second goal of the match in a similar fashion to her first, putting a stamp on an emphatic 5-0 performance from the Wildcats. 

The final whistle blew, giving Kentucky their second consecutive clean sheet and their second win of the young season. 

UK out-shot UL Lafayette 21-9 (13-2 SOG) and notched two corners to the Ragin’ Cajuns zero. In three matches, Kentucky has now outscored their opponents 9-1. Rhodes leads the way with four goals, while Richardson is right behind with three of her own after notching a brace in Thursday’s match. 

The Wildcats will look to carry their momentum on the road, as they will travel to Tampa, Florida to take on the South Florida Bulls on Sunday. The match at Corbett Soccer Stadium is set to kick-off at 1:00 p.m. E.T and can be seen on ESPN+