Alex Ruiz’s Winner Sends Wildcats to Top of Sun Belt Table in 1-0 Win Over No. 10 West Virginia
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Wildcats (9-2-3, 6-1-0 SBC) defeated their second consecutive top 20 opponent tonight in a 1-0 win over the No. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3-2, 5-2-0 SBC) on Sunday night at The Bell.
The win tonight over West Virginia sends the Wildcats to the top of the Sun Belt Conference table with 18 points from six wins. The upcoming schedule for the Cats now shifts to the final two matches of the season, first at home against Georgia State on Halloween and concluding on the road against Old Dominion on Nov. 4.
Tonight, West Virginia provided the game’s first scoring opportunity less than three minutes into the match with a shot across the Wildcats’ goal by Ethan Dekel Daks, forcing an incredible kick save from goalkeeper Sebastian Conlon to keep the score level.
For the seventh time this season for Kentucky, the scoreline would read 0-0 heading into the halftime break, with both teams recording one shot on goal and the Mountaineers leading 3-2 in total shots.
The Wildcats found their best scoring chance of the match in the 62nd minute, coming off a rebound from a shot from defender Josh Gordon and a second try from forward Eric Onos that would roll just past the far post of the West Virginia goal, as the score would remain scoreless with less than a half hour to play.
Just 10 minutes later, UK would break through the West Virginia defense, as leading goalscorer Alex Ruiz added his seventh goal of the year in the 72nd minute, setup by midfielders Agustin Lopez and Kevin Larsson, to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the late stages of the second half.
Similar to the effort in the midweek win over Georgia Southern, heroic defending from the Cats’ defensive backline and two more saves from Conlon during the final 15 minutes would propel Kentucky to a massive 1-0 win at home over West Virginia.
The Wildcats will close out their slate of regular season home games later this week on Friday, Oct. 31 on senior night in a Halloween matchup against the Georgia State Panthers at 7 p.m. at The Bell.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s soccer team, follow @UKMensSoccer on X, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
