Kentucky Ties Akron 1-1 with Late Comeback
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Despite trailing on the scoreboard for over 55 minutes, Kentucky (7-1-1) capped off a late-game come-from-behind effort with a 1-1 draw against Akron (0-0-1) on Thursday at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
Brock Lindow’s team-leading fourth goal of the season pushed Kentucky to its third consecutive overtime contest to open the spring, ultimately leading to its first double-overtime period and first draw since 2019.
Akron came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, finding the back of the net with a goal by Diogo Pacheco off assists from Henrique Cruz and Carlo Ritaccio in just the 15th minute. The Zips entered halftime leading 5-2 in overall shot attempts, including 2-0 on goal.
Akron increased its lead in the second-half shot count to 7-1, though the 1-1 deadlock in tries on target proved to be the match’s most crucial difference. In the same period that Kentucky goalkeeper Ryan Troutman earned his second save, the Wildcats’ offense managed the half’s only goal.
Former Cincinnati transfer Trey Asensio earned his first point in a Kentucky uniform by sparking the game-tying play with a long throw into the Akron penalty area, where 6-foot-2 forward Eythor Bjorgolfsson used his head to change the trajectory of the ball toward Lindow at the top of the six-yard box.
With his back completely to his defender, the left-footed junior used his right heel to sneak the ball toward the far corner of the net past keeper Will Meyer in the 70th minute.
Though Akron led the final shot count 14-5, each team totaled three attempts on goal. Troutman and Meyer managed two saves apiece in a contest that featured five cautions.
Kentucky will return to the Bell on Tuesday for a make-up bout with Bowling Green (2-0) at noon 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.
