Oliver Stavdal Scores Game-Winning Goal to Earn Men’s Soccer a Season Opening Victory
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s soccer (1-0) recorded its first win to open the 2024 season Thursday evening with a 3-2 win over Oral Roberts (0-1) at The Bell Soccer Complex.
Isaiah Chisolm, Logan Dorsey and Oliver Stavdal scored the Cats’ three goals to overcome the Golden Eagles.
Following a women’s soccer 2-0 win over Detroit Mercy, the men’s team took to the pitch to close the evening’s doubleheader. In just 11 minutes of action, Chisolm, a sophomore from Yorktown, Va., shot a right-footed rocket into the bottom left of the net for the first Wildcat goal of the fall. He was assisted by fellow sophomore Josh Gordon.
With UK holding a 1-0 advantage, 11 minutes of play continued before ORU answered with a goal of their own. Omar Mora shot a ball from his left foot to the bottom right of the goal with an assist by Jose Estrada. The remainder of the first half stayed stagnant in a 1-1 tie before reaching the halftime period.
Kentucky found its next scoring opportunity deep into the second half as senior forward Dorsey rolled in a ball to put the Cats up 2-1 in the 76th minute. Sophomore Joel Gonzalez dropped the ball into the box, which was initially saved by the ORU keeper, before connecting with Dorsey to earn the assist. The opposition’s keeper earned a red card amidst the celebration of the Kentucky goal. However, ORU answered quickly with another goal of their own in the 78th minute as Mora scored his second goal of the night, assisted by Luis Flores.
With the 90-minute period coming to a close, Kentucky had to act quickly in order to earn the victory. Freshman newcomer Stavdal earned the game-winning score thanks to a hockey assist from Gordon and fellow freshman Bertil Alban. The Sports Center Top-10-worthy goal was a right-footed shot sent from the top of the box directly into the upper left corner of the net, past the ORU keeper.
The Wildcats will return to The Bell Sept. 2 to host Virginia Tech as they look to earn another early season win. The match will raise awareness for pediatric cancer partnering with All In For Miller, Ronald McDonald House and UK Children’s Hospital.
Big Blue Nation can purchase single match, group, and season tickets by clicking here. Tickets will also be available for purchase upon arrival to The Bell. Gates will open one hour prior to kick off.
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.
