TicketsCINCINNATI - Sydney Kilgore, a Cincinnati native and graduate of Oak Hills High School, has transferred into the University of Cincinnati women's soccer program, Neil Stafford, the head coach of the Bearcats, announced today. Kilgore, who played her first two collegiate seasons at Indiana University, will have two seasons of competition remaining during her time at UC.
"We are obviously pleased that Sydney Kilgore has joined us for the upcoming Spring semester," Stafford said. "This will help her settle in and create those all-important relationships with her teammates, coaches and staff. Syd was born to be a Bearcat; she absolutely loves her city, has excellent character and is a fantastic student-athlete.
She will give us depth in the wide areas," Stafford continued. "She has a great engine, is quick to get forward and has great pace. Her attacking mentality will enable her to run at defenders, get them off-balance and get quality service into the box. We think Syd could be effective in a couple of positions for us and her versatility will improve us on both sides of the ball."
Kilgore, who can play both at forward and in the midfield, joined the team in early January and will be available to compete in spring exhibitions immediately while also working toward her academic and degree goals.
"As my academic mapping became more and more clear after freshman year at Indiana University, I realized that, for me to stay on track in pursuing a Physical Therapy degree, Cincinnati would be the best fit for me," Kilgore said. "When committing to a college program at such an early age, such matters are not at the forefront of your decision. At the beginning of my sophomore year, the desire to become a Cincinnati Bearcat began to grow.
"The University of Cincinnati always had everything I needed to be a student-athlete: my degree program, a great women's soccer program that is coming off another successful season and a very strong sports science program, which not only has impacted the health and performance of the players on the team, but will be valuable firsthand knowledge for my degree pursuit," Kilgore continues. "I am pleased that UC has welcomed me and, with a quick transition, I feel I am on track academically and ready to compete as a Bearcat. Being home, competing for my hometown college and wearing Cincinnati across my chest is just icing on the cake."
In her two years with the Hoosiers, Kilgore appeared in 36 matches and earning two starts. She tallied two goals in her freshman campaign and added a pair of assists in her sophomore season. As a rookie, her two goals were quite big for IU as her first score tied the match, 2-2, with #24 Rutgers with the score line ending that way. One game later, she netted the game-winner in a 3-2 upset of #25 Ohio State on the road in Columbus. Kilgore also has excelled academically. Following her sophomore season, she was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Second Team as well as also being named Academic All-Big Ten.
Prior to her time in Bloomington, Kilgore was an accomplished student-athlete at Oak Hills where she competed on four varsity teams, including four years with the with soccer team, two each with track & field and basketball and one year with cross country. On the pitch, she played for three years before an injury sidelined her for her senior campaign. In those three years, however, she was named a First Team All-GMC player as well as a three-time selection as First Team All-Southwest Ohio. Her team's Best Offensive Player selection as a freshman, Kilgore also helped her team to the district title as a sophomore.
Kilgore also competed for several years with nearby Kings Hammer Academy. With KHA, she helped her side to back-to-back appearances in the National League Championships with her side winning the 2014 tournament taking runners-up honors in 2015. During that time, she also helped KHA to a pair of State Cup Championships.
Back at OHHS, Kilgore was also a standout on the track as she raced primarily at 800m in her junior and senior seasons. As a junior, she was named the GMC Runner of the Year after she broke her school and the conference's 800m record while reaching the state meet following a regional championship. The district 800m champion as a junior, she was a five-time all-conference honoree on the track and added one more in cross country as a freshman. Kilgore also competed for the varsity basketball team for two seasons.
Outstanding players transferring into the Bearcats program is nothing new under Stafford. In his five years at the helm, Kilgore is the 12th different player to make the move to the Queen City. Some of those individuals included Danielle Rotheram (Central Michigan), who became one of the top scorers for the Bearcats during her short tenure, including leading the team in goals on the way to the 2015 American Athletic Conference title; Sam Pavlika (IPFW), a captain and three-year starter for the Mastadons who came to UC to win a title and did just that by backstopping the defense in 2015; Claudia Eustaquio, a goalkeeper that was named the 2015 Horizon League Freshman of the Year at Detroit before coming to UC; and, most recently, Jill Vetere, who made a strong impact on the front line in 2017 after transferring in from Louisville.
Kilgore and her new teammates have begun spring training as they work toward playing five exhibition matches later this spring, including four at home. The first match will see Morehead State come to town for a 7 p.m. contest at Gettler Stadium on Thursday, March 8, before playing host to Bowling Green at 4 p.m. inside Nippert Stadium on Saturday, March 31. In April, UC will host both Kent State (Saturday, April 14 at 5 p.m.) and Northwestern Ohio (Wednesday, April 18 at 7 p.m.) at Gettler Stadium before closing the semester with a trip to Butler on April 21 for a 7 p.m. contest in Indianapolis.
Sydney Kilgore
F/MF • Cincinnati, Ohio • Oak Hills HS / Kings Hammer Academy / Indiana University
PRIOR TO UC: Played two years at Indiana University (Bloomington, Ind.) before transferring to Cincinnati... appeared in 36 matches for the Hoosiers, scoring 2 goals and adding two assists... tallied both goals in her freshman campaign... recorded the game-winning goal in IU's upset win of #25 Ohio State in Columbus... scored her first career goal to draw IU even with #24 Rutgers in a 2-2 finish... both of her helpers came in her sophomore season... earned CoSIDA Academic All-District Second Team and Academic All-Big Ten accolades as a sophomore.
PREP CAREER: A 2016 graduate of Oak Hills High School (Cincinnati)... competed for four varsity teams during her career and was named OHHS Senior Female of the Year prior to graduation... member of the soccer team four years, but only played three as an injury sidelined her during her senior season... was a three-time First Team All-GMC selection and twice named First Team All-Southwest Ohio... named the team's Best Offensive Player her freshman year and helped team to the district title in her sophomore season... also competed for nearby Kings Hammer Academy... KHA were national finalists in 2014 and 2015... captured the National League Championships in 2014 and were runners-up in 2015... twice won the State Cup Championships (2014, 2015)... competed for one season with the varsity cross country team (freshman year) and was named Second Team All-GMC after qualifying for the regional meet... also was named team MVP... played two years (freshman & sophomore) on the varsity basketball team before running on the track team for two years (junior & senior)... highly accomplished mid-distance runner, earning GMC Runner of the Year honors as a junior... three-time individual and two-time relay All-GMC honoree... in her junior year, broke the OHHS and GMC record in the 800m run and reached the state meet after winning the regional title... also helped the 4x400m relay set the school record... won the district title at 800m as a senior... comes from an athletic family as her father, Tom, played college baseball at Ball State and her sister, Olivia, played soccer at Tusculum College (Division II)... upon graduation, plans to attend physical therapy school at UC.
Year GP-GS G A P Sh GW PK-Att
2016* 17-0 2 0 4 6 1 0-0
2017* 19-2 0 2 2 15 0 0-0
TOTAL 36-2 2 2 6 21 1 0-0
* played at Indiana
"We are obviously pleased that Sydney Kilgore has joined us for the upcoming Spring semester," Stafford said. "This will help her settle in and create those all-important relationships with her teammates, coaches and staff. Syd was born to be a Bearcat; she absolutely loves her city, has excellent character and is a fantastic student-athlete.
She will give us depth in the wide areas," Stafford continued. "She has a great engine, is quick to get forward and has great pace. Her attacking mentality will enable her to run at defenders, get them off-balance and get quality service into the box. We think Syd could be effective in a couple of positions for us and her versatility will improve us on both sides of the ball."
Kilgore, who can play both at forward and in the midfield, joined the team in early January and will be available to compete in spring exhibitions immediately while also working toward her academic and degree goals.
"As my academic mapping became more and more clear after freshman year at Indiana University, I realized that, for me to stay on track in pursuing a Physical Therapy degree, Cincinnati would be the best fit for me," Kilgore said. "When committing to a college program at such an early age, such matters are not at the forefront of your decision. At the beginning of my sophomore year, the desire to become a Cincinnati Bearcat began to grow.
"The University of Cincinnati always had everything I needed to be a student-athlete: my degree program, a great women's soccer program that is coming off another successful season and a very strong sports science program, which not only has impacted the health and performance of the players on the team, but will be valuable firsthand knowledge for my degree pursuit," Kilgore continues. "I am pleased that UC has welcomed me and, with a quick transition, I feel I am on track academically and ready to compete as a Bearcat. Being home, competing for my hometown college and wearing Cincinnati across my chest is just icing on the cake."
In her two years with the Hoosiers, Kilgore appeared in 36 matches and earning two starts. She tallied two goals in her freshman campaign and added a pair of assists in her sophomore season. As a rookie, her two goals were quite big for IU as her first score tied the match, 2-2, with #24 Rutgers with the score line ending that way. One game later, she netted the game-winner in a 3-2 upset of #25 Ohio State on the road in Columbus. Kilgore also has excelled academically. Following her sophomore season, she was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Second Team as well as also being named Academic All-Big Ten.
Prior to her time in Bloomington, Kilgore was an accomplished student-athlete at Oak Hills where she competed on four varsity teams, including four years with the with soccer team, two each with track & field and basketball and one year with cross country. On the pitch, she played for three years before an injury sidelined her for her senior campaign. In those three years, however, she was named a First Team All-GMC player as well as a three-time selection as First Team All-Southwest Ohio. Her team's Best Offensive Player selection as a freshman, Kilgore also helped her team to the district title as a sophomore.
Kilgore also competed for several years with nearby Kings Hammer Academy. With KHA, she helped her side to back-to-back appearances in the National League Championships with her side winning the 2014 tournament taking runners-up honors in 2015. During that time, she also helped KHA to a pair of State Cup Championships.
Back at OHHS, Kilgore was also a standout on the track as she raced primarily at 800m in her junior and senior seasons. As a junior, she was named the GMC Runner of the Year after she broke her school and the conference's 800m record while reaching the state meet following a regional championship. The district 800m champion as a junior, she was a five-time all-conference honoree on the track and added one more in cross country as a freshman. Kilgore also competed for the varsity basketball team for two seasons.
Outstanding players transferring into the Bearcats program is nothing new under Stafford. In his five years at the helm, Kilgore is the 12th different player to make the move to the Queen City. Some of those individuals included Danielle Rotheram (Central Michigan), who became one of the top scorers for the Bearcats during her short tenure, including leading the team in goals on the way to the 2015 American Athletic Conference title; Sam Pavlika (IPFW), a captain and three-year starter for the Mastadons who came to UC to win a title and did just that by backstopping the defense in 2015; Claudia Eustaquio, a goalkeeper that was named the 2015 Horizon League Freshman of the Year at Detroit before coming to UC; and, most recently, Jill Vetere, who made a strong impact on the front line in 2017 after transferring in from Louisville.
Kilgore and her new teammates have begun spring training as they work toward playing five exhibition matches later this spring, including four at home. The first match will see Morehead State come to town for a 7 p.m. contest at Gettler Stadium on Thursday, March 8, before playing host to Bowling Green at 4 p.m. inside Nippert Stadium on Saturday, March 31. In April, UC will host both Kent State (Saturday, April 14 at 5 p.m.) and Northwestern Ohio (Wednesday, April 18 at 7 p.m.) at Gettler Stadium before closing the semester with a trip to Butler on April 21 for a 7 p.m. contest in Indianapolis.
Sydney Kilgore
F/MF • Cincinnati, Ohio • Oak Hills HS / Kings Hammer Academy / Indiana University
PRIOR TO UC: Played two years at Indiana University (Bloomington, Ind.) before transferring to Cincinnati... appeared in 36 matches for the Hoosiers, scoring 2 goals and adding two assists... tallied both goals in her freshman campaign... recorded the game-winning goal in IU's upset win of #25 Ohio State in Columbus... scored her first career goal to draw IU even with #24 Rutgers in a 2-2 finish... both of her helpers came in her sophomore season... earned CoSIDA Academic All-District Second Team and Academic All-Big Ten accolades as a sophomore.
PREP CAREER: A 2016 graduate of Oak Hills High School (Cincinnati)... competed for four varsity teams during her career and was named OHHS Senior Female of the Year prior to graduation... member of the soccer team four years, but only played three as an injury sidelined her during her senior season... was a three-time First Team All-GMC selection and twice named First Team All-Southwest Ohio... named the team's Best Offensive Player her freshman year and helped team to the district title in her sophomore season... also competed for nearby Kings Hammer Academy... KHA were national finalists in 2014 and 2015... captured the National League Championships in 2014 and were runners-up in 2015... twice won the State Cup Championships (2014, 2015)... competed for one season with the varsity cross country team (freshman year) and was named Second Team All-GMC after qualifying for the regional meet... also was named team MVP... played two years (freshman & sophomore) on the varsity basketball team before running on the track team for two years (junior & senior)... highly accomplished mid-distance runner, earning GMC Runner of the Year honors as a junior... three-time individual and two-time relay All-GMC honoree... in her junior year, broke the OHHS and GMC record in the 800m run and reached the state meet after winning the regional title... also helped the 4x400m relay set the school record... won the district title at 800m as a senior... comes from an athletic family as her father, Tom, played college baseball at Ball State and her sister, Olivia, played soccer at Tusculum College (Division II)... upon graduation, plans to attend physical therapy school at UC.
Year GP-GS G A P Sh GW PK-Att
2016* 17-0 2 0 4 6 1 0-0
2017* 19-2 0 2 2 15 0 0-0
TOTAL 36-2 2 2 6 21 1 0-0
* played at Indiana