Wildcats Defeat Georgia State 3-1, Secure Place in Sun Belt Tournament
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Kentucky Wildcats (3-9-4, 3-4-2 SBC) closed out the 2026 regular season tonight in Atlanta, Ga. with a 3-1 win over the Georgia State Panthers (7-9-2, 1-7-1 SBC).
With the win, the Wildcats secured their place in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed, which is set to begin on Sunday, Nov. 8 in Huntington, W.Va.
Kentucky opened the game’s scoring in the 15th minute with a goal by Bains Smith, his second of the season, coming off an assist from Agustin Lopez, to give the Wildcats an early lead. The Cats doubled their lead in the 35th minute with Costa Iliadis regaining the team lead with his third goal of the season with an impressive, unassisted left-footed shot into the bottom corner of the net.
For the first time since Aug. 24 against Louisville, Kentucky took a 2-0 advantage into the halftime break.
In the 80th minute, defender Cianole Nguepissi headed in his first career goal, coming off a perfectly taken corner kick from Yasha Schaerer, to make it 3-0 in favor of the traveling side.
Kentucky’s defense held a clean sheet for more than 89 minutes of the match, but the Panthers added a consolation goal in the 90th minute from midfielder Damian Segura to make it 3-1, but the Wildcats would still come away with the much-needed win in Atlanta.
Kentucky dominated the majority of the final box score, outshooting Georgia State 22-3, including a 12-1 advantage in shots on goal.
The Wildcats will now begin their postseason campaign in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in the 7 seed vs. 2 seed matchup against Marshall on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
For the latest on Kentucky Men’s Soccer, follow the Wildcats on X, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKAthletics.com.
