Jan Hoffelner Earns Ninth Clean Sheet in Draw with South Carolina
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Goalkeeper Jan Hoffelner tied a season high in saves en route to his ninth shutout of the season, anchoring No. 4 Kentucky to a scoreless draw with South Carolina after two overtime periods on a rainy Saturday night in Lexington.
With the result, the Wildcats move to 9-0-4 overall and 2-0-4 in Conference USA play. The Gamecocks go to 5-7-2 (1-3-2 C-USA).
Saturday’s scoreless affair was not for lack of opportunity, as Kentucky fired at least 20 shot attempts for just the second time all season. The Cats outshot South Carolina 20-16 overall, including 13-5 in the opening half. But the Gamecocks finished the match with an 11-7 advantage, while the teams each landed five tries on frame.
Hoffelner’s five saves were his most since his UK debut at then-No. 25 Coastal Carolina on Aug. 26, which also resulted in a 0-0 stalemate.
Kentucky got off to a 9-0 edge in corner kicks in the first half, ending the game with an 11-4 lead in such chances. Luis Grassow, Ben Damge and Casper Grening recorded three shots apiece.
The Wildcats will return to Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex for their final non-conference tilt of the season, hosting in-state foe Bellarmine (6-6-1) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
Admission to all 2021 UK soccer matches at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex is free to the public. 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.
