ElMedkhar Strike Gives UK Soccer Season-Opening Win
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Men’s Soccer Team began the 2018 season with a 1-0 victory over DePaul on Friday at The Bell. Sophomore Kalil ElMedkhar scored the only goal for the Wildcats in the 35th minute, the first finish of his collegiate career.
Kentucky won its fourth season-opener in a row. The Wildcats improved to 5-2 in opening salvos under Head Coach Johan Cedergren.
With Friday’s match also marking the home opener, UK has now won its first home game in all five years the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex has been welcoming the Big Blue Nation.
“Happy to get an opening win at home,” Cedergren said. “I thought it was a nice evening and a good crowd that showed up. We have had a really good preseason, but I thought that we had a couple of chances that we missed on and I think DePaul worked into the game. So, I want to give them a whole lot of credit.
“In general, very, very happy with the guys. If you look, I think you will see that we started four freshmen. I think it is a young team and there is nothing better than to have a lot of video of the team to learn from mistakes and still come away with the victory. So in general, we are very happy.”
ElMedkhar took advantage of a DePaul clearance miscue taking a silky first touch to control the failed clearance and create space for himself about 14 yards. He quickly fired a left footed shot into the right pocket of the goal.
“I think it was a really good win for the team,” ElMedkhar said. “We had a long time to prepare for this game and came out and did exactly what we needed to do. I wish we had three or four goals, but happy to get away with one goal and get a win from it.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Enrique Facusse kept the eighth career shutout in his 19th start, playing behind a back line of (from left to right) freshman Cole Guindon, sophomore Leon Jones, sophomore Keyarash Namjoupanah and senior Tanner Hummel.
Kentucky forced DePaul goalkeeper Drew Nuelle to make seven saves to keep the margin razor thin. UK junior captain forward JJ Williams fired four shots, with two of them needing Nuelle to intervene.
Kentucky will return to action on Friday, Aug.31 when they face Columbia at 7:30 pm at The Bell.
The history
The two sides had never played a competitive match before.
Kentucky is 17-10-1 all-time in regular-season openers.
The setup
Kentucky entered Friday’s opener beginning a campaign in which it will look to improve upon its 2017 record of won 8, lost 6, drew 4.
Kentucky returned an important corps of players from a year ago, including Conference USA Golden Glove Award, Freshman of the Year, First Team All-C-USA and the Conference All-Freshman Team and All-Southeast Region Enrique Facusse.
Five Wildcats who started more than 10 games a year ago came back for the 2018 campaign, but the story on Friday was the four freshman, and further four (admittedly experienced) sophomores named in Cedergren’s starting 11.
DePaul arrived in Lexington with a new staff and squad, that would have eyes on a high-profile result to start a year in which they’d be hoping to improve upon their 2017 record of W6, L11, D3 (2-6-1 Big East).
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