No. 10 Kentucky Bounces Back in C-USA Road Opener
BOCA RATON, Fla. – No. 10 Kentucky (9-2-1, 1-1 Conference USA) bounced back from its first loss of the spring with a 3-1 win at Florida Atlantic (3-2-2, 0-2 C-USA) in its first road test of league play on Saturday.
Saturday’s game winner was scored by Eythor Bjorgolfsson, who leads the team with three such goals on the season. Clay Holstad and Jansen Wilson also found the back of the net, while Bjorgolfsson, Robert Screen and Bailey Rouse picked up one assist apiece.
The first goal of Holstad’s junior campaign came just before the 16-minute mark, set up by a textbook pass at the 18-yard line from Bjorgolfsson. Kentucky’s initial lead lasted only eight minutes, however, as Florida Atlantic’s Ivan Mykhailenko scored the equalizer off a penalty kick in the 24th minute.
The teams entered intermission tied 1-1, attempting three first-half shots each.
In the second half, it was Bjorgolfsson who put the Wildcats ahead for good off a set piece delivered by Screen. The 6-foot-2 sophomore gathered himself inside the goal area with his back to the net, striking the ball out of the air with his left foot and sending it over his own shoulder past FAU goalkeeper Neil Strauber.
Wilson added one for good measure just three and a half minutes later, padding Kentucky’s lead off a long ball from the back by Rouse in the 75th minute.
Redshirt-freshman goalkeeper and former Denver transfer Cyrus Margono earned his first collegiate win between the pipes, collecting two saves in the process. The Owls outshot the Cats 9-7 overall, while each team was assessed two yellow cards.
Kentucky is set to return home next Thursday for its first ranked matchup of the season, hosting No. 11 Marshall (5-1-1, 2-0 C-USA) in a battle of the most recent C-USA champions at 7 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+.
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.
