The Southeastern Conference unveiled its 2024 Preseason Watchlist on Wednesday, spotlighting five University of Kentucky Wildcats ahead of the upcoming season. The honored players are Marzia Josephson, Maddie Kemp, Sophia Mattice, Grace Phillpotts, and Makala Woods, all representing Kentucky among the conference’s elite. For Josephson, it marks her second time earning this distinction, while the other four Wildcats are making their debut appearances on the list.
Josephson, who transferred to Kentucky after four years at North Carolina, where she reached two NCAA finals, played every minute of the 2023 season in goal for the Wildcats. She wrapped up last season with a career-best 52 saves and an impressive 0.62 goals against average, the third-best in the program’s history. Her nine shutouts tied her for the second-most in a single season by a Kentucky goalkeeper.
Kemp joins the Wildcats after a successful four-year stint at Gonzaga, where she started 20 games in 2023, scoring nine goals and registering five assists. The forward from Camas, Washington, led the Zags with 35 shots on goal and was second in points with 23, earning her second-team All-WCC honors.
Mattice, another graduate transfer, hails from Portland, where she spent four seasons excelling on the West Coast. She earned All-WCC Freshman honors and was an honorable mention for the All-WCC team in 2022. Last season, she started 16 matches, scoring a career-high three goals and adding three assists.
Phillpotts is making her first appearance on the watchlist after an impressive 2023 season, where she was named to the Second Team All-SEC and the United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Southeast Region. The Michigan native started all 19 matches for the Wildcats, contributing four assists, the second-most on the team.
Woods, a graduate transfer from Illinois, rounds out the group after four years in Champaign, where she started all 17 matches for the Fighting Illini in 2023. She matched her career-high with three goals and set a new personal best with three assists.
The Wildcats are set to kick off the 2024 season against Central Michigan on Thursday, August 15, at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex, with the match scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
