By Brady Trapnell

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After stealing a very important point against a tough Florida team, UK women’s soccer will look to gain more momentum with a win against a struggling Vanderbilt team on Friday night.

UK

Record: 9-2-2, 3-1-1

Goals Scored: 28

Goals Allowed: 10

Average Shots/Game: 13

Shot Percentage: .166

Player to Watch: Katelyn Jensen

The freshman goalkeeper is coming off Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors after her brilliant performance against the Florida Gators on Friday. She made a career high 13 saves on 27 shots faced, continuing her exceptional play in the goal this season. Jensen ranks second in shutouts with 7, and has a save percentage that ranks sixth in the SEC. With the Commodores speedy offense coming to town, Jensen will be a key piece of the puzzle for UK if they want to get a win on Friday night.

Preview: 

After breaking a four-match losing streak to Florida in Gainesville with a 1-1 draw, the Cats will need to come back down to earth as they play a Vanderbilt team with a speedy, and aggressive offense that also gave No. 12 Florida a fight a couple weeks ago. Look for the UK offensive attack, fueled by Kaitlin Miller and Zoe Swift, to keep up its good work and try to seize hold of the game as quick as possible. Vandy, on average, allows 1.15 goals per game, so look for the Cats offense to try to take advantage of the Commodores struggling defense.

Defensively, limiting the Commodore attack will be very important. The Cats backline will need to slow down experienced forward Simone Charley, who is the centerpiece of the Vandy offensive attack. Katelyn Jensen will need to be ready in the goal as well, with the Commodores coming in averaging 13.5 shots per game.

Vanderbilt

Record: 5-5-3, 1-2-2

Goals Scored: 15

Goals Allowed: 15

Average Shots/Game: 13.5

Shot percentage: .085

Player to watch: Simone Charley

The 2014 First Team All-SEC junior forward plays the role of scorer and facilitator for the Commodores. First, she scores. Second, she attracts so much attention from the opposing team’s defense that she opens her teammates up to score. This is the Vanderbilt offense. Charley is the centerpiece and has three goals and three assists on the season, thus far. If the Commodores are able to beat the Cats, you can be sure that Simone Charley will be a big part of it.

Vandy

The Commodores last win was on September 20, so you have got to be sure that they are hungry for a victory. Coming off of two back-to-back, double-overtime draws against Southeastern Conference opponents, Vandy will be looking to earn three crucial points against a very good Kentucky team Friday. Experiencing some offensive struggles as of late, the Vandy offense needs to get a kick-start quickly as they face a stout UK defense. The Vanderbilt defense will have their hands full as well, dealing with the high powered scoring attack of Zoe Swift and Kaitlin Miller. The key to victory for the Commodores will be putting constant pressure on the UK defense and trying to pick up a goal early; however, Vandy faces a tough test in the Cats on Friday night.