No. 12 UK Wins Third Straight, 4-0 over Detroit
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Sam Miller scored his second goal in the last three matches on 16 minutes and the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats rolled from there, winning 4-0 over Detroit on Tuesday at The Bell.
At the other end, Callum Irving was rarely troubled and not asked to save any shots in the team’s ninth shutout of the season. The MAC Hermann Award Watch List member has received full credit for eight of those clean sheets, as he played 79 minutes in one.
Kentucky has won three in a row, is unbeaten in its last five and is now 9-1-1 (W-L-D) in its last 11.
Kristoffer Tollefsen doubled the hosts’ lead on 42 minutes before Andrew McKelvey’s second-half brace cleared any doubt as to the result.
The Wildcats now have one regular-season match remaining, a Saturday 7 p.m. matchup with Florida International at The Bell. Already assured of at least a share of the league title, Kentucky can clinch the Conference USA regular-season title outright with a result.
The goals
Miller’s goal simplified what could have been a tricky fixture. The goal was his second in as many home outings as he scored an 83rd-minute winner against UAB last Wednesday to secure a crucial three points in the league.
This time he tapped in at the near post after a nice Stefan Stojkovic cross.
Tollefsen made it two with another tap-in after Charlie Reymann whipped a ball into the box at Jordan Wilson who nodded toward the inside post past Ryan Creel. The ball was barely cleared off the line by the Detroit defense, before the senior midfielder cleaned up for his first finish of the year.
Wilson’s assist was his second of the year.
After UK went to the locker room with a 2-0 lead, Andrew McKelvey scored the first of his two goals on 52 minutes with a hard shot off a Noah Hutchins setup. Hutchins – who scored the winner on Saturday at Charlotte and is College Soccer News’ current National Team of the Week – notched his first assist of the year.
McKelvey’s second came seven minutes later as he got on the end of a delightful Reymann cross and roofed his shot to finish the scoring. He now has three goals this year, which is also his career total.
Reymann has four assists this season.
The notes
Kentucky improved to 11-3-2 (6-0-1 C-USA) this season. The Wildcats have won 11 games for the first time since 2009, and the 13th time ever.
Johan Cedergren has led UK to 10-win seasons two years in a row, and in three of his four years at the helm of the program.
With Wednesday’s win, Kentucky closed its non-conference slate at 6-0-1 this season.
Detroit dropped to 6-4-8 this season.
Kentucky, which entered Tuesday with the 10th best goals-against average defense in the country, dropped that clip to .059 goals per game. The Wildcats have conceded 10 goals in 15 games this season, and just two in the last six matches.
—
For the best coverage of UK men’s soccer follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in addition to on UKathletics.com.
