The 2024 Kentucky Women’s Soccer season began just over a week ago (including a 2-0 win over Central Michigan in Thursday’s season opener), and the team is already making waves before conference play even begins.

The SEC has released its Preseason Watchlist, a list of 88 players to keep an eye on this season. Five of Kentucky’s best players made the list, putting them in an exclusive group of the conference’s most impressive players (and bragging rights).

2024 SEC Preseason Watchlist – Kentucky

• Marz Josephson (TK)
• Maddie Kemp (F)
• Sophia Mattice (M)
• Grace Phillippots (D)
• Makala Forests (F)

Four of the five players are graduate transfers, the only exception being Grace Phillpotts, who appears on the list for the first time after earning top honors as a Second Team All-SEC selection last season.

Josephson spent her undergraduate years at Chapel Hill and reached two NCAA finals. After transferring from North Carolina to Kentucky in 2023, the goalie played all 1,730 minutes of the season, making 52 saves and a 0.62 goals-against average. Josephson made her mark as the third-best player in program history in goals-against statistics, finishing the season with nine shutouts. Now in her sixth season of eligibility, we can expect the goalie to do more of the same.

Kemp spent her last four seasons at Gonzaga. Last year, she started 20 games, scored nine goals and had five assists. She led the Zags in shots on goal (35) and second in points (23) and was named to the All-WCC second team.

Mattice spent her final four seasons in Portland. She was named All-WCC Freshman her freshman season and earned honorable mention All-WCC in 2022. In her final season, she started 16 games and scored three goals on a career-high 10 shots on goal.

Woods came to Kentucky from Illinois this season. In Champaign, the forward started all 17 games and set a career-high of three goals in 2023. She also recorded a personal best of three assists.

Kentucky women’s soccer team will appear on national television three times

This season, the Wildcats will be seen on national television three times, two of which will be in Lexington. On Sunday, September 8, Kentucky will face No. 11 UCLA at noon EST on ESPNU. Over a month later, on Sunday, October 13, Kentucky will travel to Vanderbilt to face the Commodores at 7 p.m. EST on the SEC Network. Finally, on Sunday, October 27, Kentucky will face the Tennessee Volunteers in Lexington at 2 p.m. EST on the SEC Network.

After a 2-0 win over Central Michigan on August 15, the Kentucky Women’s Soccer season has finally begun. With five players on the preseason watch list and a few national TV spots, it should be an exciting year for the ‘Cats. Next up: Morehead State on Sunday in Lexington on the SEC Network+.