No. 12 Kentucky Caps Regular Season with 3-0 Win Over Florida Atlantic

LEXINGTON, KY. – No. 12 Kentucky (11-1-4) jumped out to an early first-half lead and never looked back, as they took down Florida Atlantic (8-6-2) by a score of 3-0 Friday night at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
 
The Wildcats finish the regular season undefeated at home with a 3-1-4 record and 13 points in Conference USA play. The team’s one loss is its lowest total since the 2018 season. The Owls conclude their regular season campaign with a conference record of 2-4-2.
 
Kentucky was able to dominate on both sides of the ball with three different scorers on senior night, generating 19 shots while controlling possession and holding FAU to just three attempts on the evening.
 
Offense was of no concern for UK, who recorded nine shots in the first half and 10 in the second. Both junior Luis Grassow and senior Marcel Meinzer led the team in the statistic, totaling three shots each.
 
UK’s first goal came in the ninth minute off a corner kick from senior Mason Visconti. The kick led to a header from Grassow that found the back of the net, earning his second goal of the year. Visconti was credited with the assist, which was his second, as well.
 
Just seven minutes later, Kentucky tallied another goal that started with a throw in from Visconti. The score was credited to junior Nick Gutmann, who managed to blow by his defender and squeeze the shot past two others for his third of the season. Sophomore Enzo Mauriz started the sequence and earned his third assist on the year.
 
The first half was controlled solely by the Wildcats, who held possession of the ball 58% of the time and created touches on the opponent’s half of the field for over 22 minutes. The backline of Grassow, Visconti, Robert Screen and Lucca Rodrigues played each minute of the half and allowed no shot attempts.
 
The last Wildcat goal was earned in the 65th minute during the second half. A header from Grassow was redirected and chipped in by fifth-year Bailey Rouse, which was his second time scoring this season. Grassow earned his third assist on the play.
 
Graduate student Jan Hoffelner saved one shot during the match. The Langen, Germany, native earned his 10th shutout of the year, the most in a single season since Enrique Facusse during the 2018 campaign.
 
Kentucky’s next match will come in the first round of the C-USA Championship on Wednesday. While their opponent has yet to be determined, the Wildcats will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, and play at Transamerica Field.
 
Admission to all 2021 UK soccer matches at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex is free to the public. For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.