‘Excited to move on.’ UK women’s soccer rewards big crowd with dramatic win in NCAA opener.
After it was all over — the “all” being one of the most dramatic nights in the history of the Kentucky women’s soccer program — Troy Fabiano let out a celebratory scream that he’d been holding in throughout his postgame press conference.
“BBN THANK YOU!” Fabiano bellowed, slamming the table he was seated at for extra emphasis.
The moments that led to this scene were fitting of the emotion Fabiano displayed.
Playing in its first NCAA Tournament since 2014 — as well as hosting its first NCAA Tournament match since that year — UK advanced out of the first round of the national postseason Friday night with an action-packed penalty kick shootout win over West Virginia.
The Wildcats and Mountaineers played to a physical 1-1 draw over the course of 90 minutes, plus 20 additional minutes of Golden Goal overtime. Kentucky, a No. 5 seed, prevailed in the resulting penalty shootout, 4-2, in front of a season-best crowd of 1,360 fans who packed into the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex, despite chilly conditions.
“A little bit of a roller coaster,” Fabiano said, in an understatement, after the game. “Sometimes you’re on the opposite end of PKs and it’s a tough one to lose, but excited to move on.”
Friday’s result gives Kentucky only its fifth-ever win in the NCAA Tournament. And the Wildcats were stretched to their limit to earn it.
West Virginia took the lead in the 52nd minute on a standout individual goal by sophomore defender Olivia Shertzer, and a frenetic final 60 minutes (including overtime) followed.
Kentucky was level just two minutes later after graduate student midfielder Maddie Kemp applied the finish touch inside the penalty box following a free kick.
The Wildcats were in the ascendancy following the equalizer, which was Kemp’s sixth goal of the season. Shortly after the score, UK graduate students midfielder Catherine DeRosa and forward Makala Woods hit the crossbar and post.
“I think in the couple games that we haven’t gotten a result in, we’ve given up a goal and we’ve chased the game. And then sometimes that becomes hard,” Fabiano said. “To be able to respond that quick definitely gave us the momentum back.”
While Kentucky still threatened the West Virginia goal for the rest of the game, a hero emerged for the Wildcats at the other end of the pitch. Sixth-year goalkeeper Marz Josephson — who previously spent four years at women’s soccer power North Carolina, but missed her sophomore and junior seasons due to injury — put on a sensational display in between the posts for UK.
Josephson tied her career high with seven saves on Friday, including a significant double-save in the 86th minute to ensure the match would go to overtime.
“Obviously as a goalkeeper, when you’re making saves, you’re getting more confident. So, just trying to do what I can to help the team and keep them out of the goal as best as I could,” Josephson said.
In the penalty shootout, Josephson made two more saves against West Virginia’s second and fourth takers.
“All the pressure is on the shooter. They should score every time,” Josephson said of her mentality during the shootout. “If I make a save, it looks good on me. If they score, they should. So, no pressure on me.”
“I thought she was fabulous,” West Virginia coach Nikki Izzo-Brown said about Josephson. “Obviously, we had great opportunities around the net and she made first and second saves. I thought in regulation we had a couple of really good looks and she did her job, and she did it so well. … We really wanted to make sure that we had some different (shooting) angles and areas so we can move her around, because she has springs in her shoes. The kid can just fly.”
All four UK penalty kick takers — Woods, freshman defender Michelle Moskau, sophomore defender Grace Hoytink and graduate student midfielder Sophia Mattice — converted from the spot to send Kentucky through to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history.
UK — now 11-4-5 (W-L-D) on the season — will next play No. 4 seed Notre Dame (12-3-4) in the NCAA Tournament second round.
The Fighting Irish dispatched Milwaukee, 5-1, in first-round action.
Troy Fabiano has turned around UK women’s soccer program
During his postgame press conference Friday, Fabiano referenced a phone conversation he had with the Herald-Leader in December 2021, shortly after taking the Kentucky coaching job.
Fabiano reminisced about what the state of the UK women’s soccer program was then, and what expectations were for the Wildcats under his leadership.
Just three seasons into his coaching tenure in Lexington, the progress made under Fabiano is remarkable.
“To see it sort of grow from year one to two, to two to three now, and taking that next step, is huge,” Fabiano said. “… The whole support of UK, BBN is just huge. That’s one of the reasons why I came, is for that support.”
Kentucky’s 11 wins this season marked the program’s most victories in a single campaign since 2014. (Friday’s result will officially be recorded as a draw).
The Wildcats are now undefeated in 13 home matches this season, with nine wins and four draws.
Fabiano’s team is just one win away from matching Kentucky’s best-ever NCAA Tournament run. In 2014, the Wildcats made the Sweet 16 for the only time in program history.
“It’s a group that doesn’t take themselves too seriously, in a good way,” Fabiano said about his team.
According to Fabiano’s contract with UK, which was reworked in February, Fabiano would get a $15,000 performance incentive if Kentucky upsets Notre Dame and reaches the Sweet 16.
UK is now the only Kentucky school left in the NCAA Tournament.
Also on Friday, Morehead State lost at No. 2 seed Wake Forest 4-0. The Eagles were making their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and it was the first time that Morehead State made consecutive editions of the national postseason.
Morehead State has still never scored in an NCAA Tournament match.
