Chris McDaniel (19) moves in to make an attempt to score as J.D. Stephenson (12) and Marc Theriault (11) look on.

The University of Kentucky men’s soccer team opened exhibition play with a 1-0 triumph over the University of Dayton Thursday, August 20 at the UK Soccer Complex.

In a hard-fought, foul-plagued contest, the Cats came out on top when Ilkka Jantti found the net open in the 82nd minute. With a number of players collapsing on the Dayton goalkeeper, Brian Mitts and Logan LeCompte were able to get the ball to the open Jantti for the score.

The UK defense held the Flyers to only five shots on goal as goalkeeper Brian O’Leary notched the shutout with four saves in 90 minutes of action.

Marc Theriault (in white) works to get the ball from the Dayton Flyers.

“Dayton is a very competitive team,” head coach Ian Collins said. “This game had the makings of a regular season game. We made some adjustments in the second half and were able to dominate play. Being only five days into practice, however, we still have a lot of things to work on.”The Cats return to action Wednesday, August 23 when they face the Wright State Raiders in the second of three preseason exhibitions. Action gets underway at the UK Soccer Complex at 7:30 p.m.

Men's College Soccer (Exhibition)Lexington, Ky.  Attendance 269                 1       2       FDayton           0       0       0Kentucky         0       1       1Goals: UK - Ilkka Jantti (Logan LaCompte, Brian Mitts) 81:32Shots: UK 12; Dayton 5Goalkeeper Saves: UK  Brian O'Leary 4; Dayton  Matt Hutchins 2, Jason Kurdziel 1Corner Kicks: UK 4; Dayton 3