Isaiah Chisolm and Casper Mols Named to Sun Belt Preseason Team; Cats Slotted No. 4 in Conference Coaches Poll
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s soccer has been slotted No. 4 in the Sun Belt Conference Coaches Poll ahead of the 2024 match slate. In addition to the team’s preseason ranking, sophomore Isaiah Chisolm and junior Casper Mols were named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team, the conference announced on Wednesday afternoon.
In the 2023 season, Kentucky men’s soccer saw its fifth consecutive visit to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, back-to-back upsets of nationally ranked No. 1 and No. 2, a second-round conference tournament match and a final season record of 8-8-4.
Chisolm, a native of Yorktown, Va., had an impressive 2023 season where he led the team with 34 shots, recording nine on goal in 20 matches played. The 6-foot-3 forward also recorded three goals and three assists in his debut season.
Mols, a Aabenraa, Denmark native, tallied 1620:00 minutes in the net with 63 saves in 18 matches holding an 8-6-4 record at the conclusion of his sophomore season. The 6-foot-4 goalkeeper ranked second in the final conference standings with a save percentage of .750 and third in shutouts with a total of seven.
The final exhibition match of preseason will be on Friday, Aug. 16 against Northern Kentucky. UK will also host Fan Day at the conclusion of the contest. The Cats will open the regular season schedule at The Bell hosting Oral Roberts for a 7:30 p.m. EST match on Thursday, August 22 with Sun Belt play beginning Sept. 20th against Georgia Southern. To purchase season and single match tickets, click here.
For the full list of 2024 Sun Belt Conference preseason awards, see below.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:
Marcus Calderia, West Virginia (Jr., F, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:
Anderson Rosa, UCF (5th yr., D, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
F – Marcus Calderia, West Virginia (Jr., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada)
F – Lucca Dourado, UCF (5th Yr., Sao Paulo, Brazil)
F – Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos, Marshall (Sr., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
F – Isaiah Chisholm, Kentucky (So., Yorktown, Va)
M – Kevin Larsson, JMU (Jr., Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland)
M – Taimu Okiyoshi, Marshall (5th Yr., Kobe, Japan)
M – Ryan Baer, West Virginia (Gr., Hunterville, N.C.)
M – Marco Silva, Marshall (R-So., Coopersburg, Pa)
D – Anderson Rosa, UCF (5th Yr., Salvador, Bahia, Brazil)
D – Luca Nikolai, JMU (So., Kaarst, Germany)
D – Frederik Jorgensen, West Virginia (Sr., Aarhus, Denmark)
D – Max Broughton, West Virginia (Gr., Rawtenstall, England)
GK – Mols Casper, Kentucky (So., Aabenraa, Denmark)
*Ties were not broken.
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Marshall (8) – 138
2. West Virginia (2) – 132
3. UCF – 111
4. Kentucky – 108
5. JMU – 106
6. South Carolina – 83
7. Georgia State – 80
8. Old Dominion – 70
9. Coastal Carolina – 62
10. Georgia Southern – 60
Parentheses indicate first-place votes
For the latest on Kentucky Men’s Soccer, follow @UKMensSoccer on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
