Iliadis, Keller Propel Wildcats to Come From Behind Draw vs. Western Michigan in Season Opener
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Wildcats opened their 2026 season campaign tonight against the Western Michigan Broncos, battling to a come from behind 2-2 draw in a thrilling match at the Bell Soccer Complex.
13 players made their official Wildcat debut tonight, including nine of the 11 starters. Both goalscorers, Tom Keller and Costa Iliadis, opened their Kentucky career scoring accounts by scoring as a substitute and providing a major spark in the attacking third.
The Wildcats fell behind in the early going after Western Michigan forward Liam Biggers scored his first goal of the season from a low cross into the box from Sahel Yessen, putting the Broncos in front after less than two minutes of play.
Just over 20 minutes later, Western Michigan doubled their lead with a goal from forward Victor Geromel in the 24th minute.
The Wildcats would get one back in the 34th minute from Keller, coming off an assist from Iliadis, to cut the Broncos’ lead in half heading into the halftime intermission.
20 minutes into the second half, sophomore Marcus Andersen would assist Iliadis in leveling the score at 2-2 with an impressive left-footed shot at point-blank range in the 65th minute, shifting all momentum into the home side’s favor for the final 25 minutes.
Kentucky goalkeeper Benjamin Rasmussen came up with a huge save, his first of the night, to keep the scoreline level at 2-2 in the 85th minute, denying the goalscorer Geromel a game-winner. The game would end 2-2, as the two teams could not be separated after 90 minutes, despite Kentucky creating multiple goalscoring opportunities in the late stages.
As a team, the Wildcats outshot the Broncos 23-7, as well as 9-3 in shots on goal, led by player of the match, Iliadis, with five.
In his postgame remarks, Head Coach Johan Cedergren said, “If this is how we look after two weeks, I wonder how we will look 10 weeks from now. It’s frustrating that we weren’t able to get a win, but I am really proud of the guys for fighting back from 2-0 down.”
The Wildcats’ next match will feature a meeting with the Louisville Cardinals in the Battle of the Bluegrass on Monday night at The Bell at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Admission to all 2026 Kentucky Soccer regular season home matches will be free to the public. For the latest on Kentucky Men’s Soccer, follow the Wildcats on X, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKAthletics.com.
