No. 11 Kentucky Falls 1-0 to No. 8 Marshall
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In a battle of the two most recent Conference USA champions, No. 11 Kentucky (9-3-1, 1-2 C-USA) dropped a 1-0 decision to No. 8 Marshall (6-1-1, 3-0 C-USA) on a rainy Thursday night at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
The teams played to a scoreless first half, landing one shot on goal apiece. The action amplified early in the second half, initiated by a rapid seesawing of momentum that began seconds before the 59-minute mark.
First, freshman midfielder Enzo Mauriz lined up for a corner kick from the left side of the goal, delivering a pinpoint pass into the goal area, where forward Daniel Evans met it at its peak with a header to the back of the net.
However, the would-be go-ahead goal was disallowed by the officials, instead turning into a counter opportunity for the Thundering Herd. Vinicius Fernandes capitalized by way of an assist from Vitor Dias just two minutes after Mauriz’s corner, putting Marshall ahead 1-0.
Before the Wildcats could complete the ensuing kickoff, the match’s first cards were issued during the clock stoppage. Kentucky head coach Johan Cedergren received the team’s first red card of the season, ejecting him from the sideline. Moments later, junior midfielder Clay Holstad was cautioned with a yellow card at the center circle.
The sides would go on to receive an additional yellow card apiece in the match’s final 10 minutes, but the scoreboard remained unchanged. The Cats were called for six fouls in each half, while the Herd totaled six on the night.
Marshall outshot Kentucky 13-9 overall, including 3-2 on target. Sophomore substitute Jansen Wilson tried a game-high four attempts, while junior right back Robert Screen recorded two and Holstad, Mauriz and Marcel Meinzer rounded out the total.
Screen and Holstad, as well as team captains Meinzer, Leon Jones and Bailey Rouse, played all 90 minutes in the loss. Sophomore center back Luis Grassow tallied 89.
Redshirt freshman Cyrus Margono recorded two saves in his second collegiate contest, falling to 1-1 as Kentucky’s starting goalkeeper.
Kentucky is set to embark on a two-week stretch away from home, commencing with a road trip to Birmingham, Alabama, for a matchup with UAB (2-8-1, 0-1-1 C-USA) on Saturday, March 27, at 3 p.m. ET. The Wildcats defeated the Blazers 2-0 in a non-conference tilt at home last fall.
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.
