Evans Scores Golden Goal in 1-0 Win at Duke
DURHAM, N.C. – Kentucky defeated Duke 1-0 in overtime thanks to late-game hero Daniel Evans, who drilled the golden goal into the upper-right corner of the net after a scoreless regulation on Friday night at Koskinen Stadium.
Kentucky improves to 7-1 on the season, while Duke falls to 2-7-1.
Kentucky’s first away match of the spring and rematch of 4-2 win at home last fall kicked off with a slow start. The Wildcats didn’t get their first shot on goal until the eighth minute, when Evans’ first attempt was blocked. The Wildcats only reached a shot count of five by the end of the first half, and Duke had a total of six shots with two on goal, resulting in two saves from redshirt sophomore Ryan Troutman.
Momentum seemed to pick up for the Blue Devils at the start of the second half. A yellow card was drawn on Evans, which resulted in a free kick by Duke, followed by an early blocked shot in the 47th minute. Shortly after an aggressive run from Duke, however, both teams became deadlocked in a shot drought.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in 90 minutes, which resulted in a need for Kentucky’s second consecutive overtime contest. Kentucky kicked off the start of the extra time, only to be interrupted by an immediate yellow card on Duke’s Thorleifur Ulfarsson just 11 seconds into the period. Kentucky retaliated in the 95th minute with a yellow card pulled on sophomore defender Luis Grassow.
After another free kick from Duke, Kentucky capitalized on a throw to Evans by Trey Asensio at the top of the box, where the game-winning goal ended the contest in the 96th minute.
Troutman ended the night with his second shutout of the 2020-21 season.
The Cats are set to return to Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex next Thursday, hosting Akron (0-2) at 4 p.m. ET.
Admission is free to all spring 2021 soccer matches. To purchase a fan cutout of a person or pet, visit UKAthletics.com/FanCutouts. For the latest on the Kentucky men’s soccer team, follow @UKMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
