Wildcats Held to Scoreless Draw vs. UCLA
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Wildcats (2-0-1) were held scoreless for the first time this season in a 0-0 draw against the UCLA Bruins in a Labor Day matinee matchup at The Bell Soccer Complex on Monday.
Despite the lack of goals, both the Wildcats and the Bruins gave impressive defensive performances, with both goalkeepers, Sebastian Conlon for Kentucky and Ryan Tiltack for UCLA, recording a combined seven saves to keep the scoreline level through 90 minutes of end-to-end play.Conlon, in his first of four saves in the afternoon, came up with a huge stop in the 32nd minute, coming off a point-blank shot from UCLA forward Sergi Solans, to keep the match level at 0-0. Both sides would create scoring opportunities on the offensive end in the opening half of play, but the scoreline would remain goalless after the first 45 minutes.
Just over 10 minutes after the start of the second half, Conlon would come up with another terrific save in the 56th minute, once again keeping the match tied, this time shutting out the Bruins’ Phillip Naef in a 1 v. 1 chance in front of the Wildcat goal.
The Wildcats would create a pair of scoring chances on the other end of the field, first with defender Kaden Pollard forcing Tiltack into his second save of the afternoon in the 60th minute. Forward Bains Smith, playing 58 minutes off the bench, would force Tiltack into a third save in the 63rd minute, as the score would remain 0-0.
Kentucky would push four more shots across the UCLA goal, most notably from midfielder Kevin Larsson in the 76th minute in an opportunity that would go just wide of being a game-winner for the home side. As the full-time whistle sounded, the scoreline remained 0-0 with neither team finding a way through the opposition’s defense, resulting in the Wildcats first draw of the 2025 season.
Both Kentucky and UCLA ended the afternoon with an even 10 shots, with the Bruins leading in the shots on goal department 4-3. For the third consecutive match, UK controlled more of the possession with a narrow 53-47% advantage, creating a majority of their possession in the attacking midfield area.
The defensive backline of Conlon, Pollard, Marqes Muir, Sinan Solmaz and Josh Gordon kept their second straight clean sheet with another impressive performance, now allowing just one goal through the opening three outings of 2025.
Following the scoreless draw at home, the Wildcats will continue a five-match homestand on Tuesday, Sept. 9, as they are set to take on the Detroit Mercy Titans at The Bell Soccer Complex at 7:30 p.m. ET.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s soccer team, follow @UKMensSoccer on X, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
