A classic edition of the UK-Louisville rivalry was decided on penalty kicks
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Louisville women’s soccer defeats Kentucky in an NCAA Tournament first round match.
- U of L topped UK in a penalty kick shootout.
- Kentucky reached the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season.
Following a dramatic penalty kick shootout, it was the Louisville women’s soccer team that advanced past Kentucky in an NCAA Tournament first-round match on Saturday afternoon.
The Cardinals and Wildcats played to a 1-1 draw over 110 minutes, including extra time, at Lynn Stadium in Louisville before eight rounds of penalty kicks were needed to determine a winner.
U of L senior forward Mackenzie Geigle buried the winning spot kick to give the host Cards a 5-4 win in the shootout. Louisville, a 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, advances to play 3 seed Kansas (15-5-3) in the second round on Thursday afternoon in Durham, North Carolina. The other second-round match opposite that one in the bracket features 2 seed Duke (14-4-1) against 7 seed Central Florida (12-3-5).
Louisville is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019.
Kentucky’s season ended with a 12-4-5 record. The Wildcats were making their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday’s dramatic match was the first meeting between U of L and UK in women’s soccer since 2018. It was also the first postseason meeting between the schools.
Louisville women’s soccer uses comeback effort to top UK in NCAA Tournament
The Cardinals (13-4-3) staged a late comeback to secure Saturday’s NCAA Tournament triumph.
UK took a lead in the 47th minute on a header by senior midfielder Thalia Morisi. The goal came with an assist from junior defender Grace Hoytink on a corner kick.
Morisi finishes the season as one of four UK players with seven goals scored, along with senior midfielder Catherine Rapp, sophomore forward Alexis Tylenda and sophomore defender Anna Sikorski.
Louisville equalized with just 11 minutes remaining on a left-footed strike by sophomore midfielder Amelia Swinarski. Despite several periods of high-intensity attacking, neither of the teams could find the back of the net in the remainder of regulation or across 20 minutes of sudden-death overtime.
The subsequent shootout was also a back-and-forth affair, with the teams combining to miss seven of their 16 attempts from the penalty spot.
After Geigle’s winning penalty went in, Louisville fans stormed the pitch. Among them was U of L men’s basketball coach Pat Kelsey, who posted on social media that he was at the game. Earlier Saturday, Louisville beat Ohio in a home men’s basketball game.
Despite the result, UK freshman goalkeeper Khadijah Cisse had a standout showing with a career-best nine saves. Just weeks ago, Cisse started in net for a Canadian team that reached the quarterfinals of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. Because of her time at the World Cup, Saturday marked the first match Cisse played for Kentucky since Oct. 5.
Kentucky women’s soccer season ends with loss to Louisville
While the pain of a postseason loss to a rival will linger, it was another successful season for fourth-year head coach Troy Fabiano and the UK women’s soccer program.
The Wildcats were 5-2-3 in the SEC this season and finished in a tie for fifth place in the conference’s regular-season standings. This was UK’s best SEC regular-season showing in more than a decade.
Kentucky won three matches this season against Top 25 opponents, and the Cats have now defeated a top-10 ranked foe in three straight seasons.
UK has made the national postseason in consecutive years under Fabiano’s direction. In 2024, UK reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014 and advanced to the second round after a home win on penalty kicks.
Earlier this year, Fabiano agreed to a reworked contract with Kentucky. Fabiano’s new deal with the school runs through June 2029.
UK has reached the NCAA Tournament 13 times in school history, with its best finish coming with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2014.
Louisville will play on in pursuit of the 2025 national championship.
The 2025 NCAA Tournament concludes on Dec. 8. The College Cup — the NCAA soccer equivalent of the Final Four — will be hosted this year at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
North Carolina is the defending national champion. The Tar Heels have already made some noise in this year’s tournament after upsetting 3 seed Tennessee in the opening round. UNC is by far the most successful school in the history of NCAA Division I women’s soccer. The Tar Heels have won 22 national championships since 1982, when the first championship was awarded.
