The Missouri Tigers traveled to Lexington, Kentucky for a matchup with the Wildcats that ended up going down to the wire. The deciding goal came with just under two minutes to play off of a penalty kick by freshman Gabi Poretto that gave the Wildcats a 1-0 victory, handing Missouri their second conference loss of the season.

Coming into this one, Kentucky ranked near the top of the conference in shots and goals while Missouri was near the bottom and this trend was apparent in the first half. After a strong first five minutes that saw the Tigers keep pressure on Kentucky and put two shots on goal from Landis Canada and Mia Devrouax, the Wildcats took control.

From then on, Kentucky pressured the Tigers with 10 shots, three of which were on goal. Comparing stats, Missouri had four shots in the half. However, strong defense from numerous Tigers such as Mia Yang kept the game scoreless as they racked up three saves and five blocks.

The second half saw a more equal distribution of possession and pressure, as the Tigers and Wildcats entered a defensive chest match with neither team even allowing a shot for the first 28 minutes of play.

At the ‘78 mark, Kentucky again began to pressure the Tigers, but Missouri continued to hold strong. A Wildcat free kick presented an opportunity to take the lead, but it was stifled by some great defense from McKenna Moran and another save by Kate Phillips.

After surviving a couple more scares, Missouri looked like it’d escape the game with a draw. However, a penalty was called on Shania Spriggs, giving the Wildcats a chance to steal a score late. That they did, as Gabi Poretto beamed one to the left and to the back of the net giving Kentucky the 1-0 lead and eventual victory.

Despite the close score and tight finish, Kentucky dominated the match statistically, ending the contest with 14 shots, five of which were on goal, to Missouri’s five total shots, two of which were on goal. Missouri also lost the foul battle, ending up with 16 fouls to Kentucky’s 12.

The Tigers did, however, win the corner kick battle with five to Kentucky’s three, a surprising statistic considering the Wildcats had outperformed their opponents in all 10 of their previous matchups this season.

Missouri now sits at 4-5-1 (1-2) on the season as they will look to rebound from a tough start to conference play. The team will attempt to bounce back as they prepare to take on the No. 12 team in the nation,  Mississippi State in Columbia on Friday at 7:00 p.m.