Wildcats Fall 3-1 at No. 2 Indiana in Nonconference Finale
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Kentucky Wildcats (1-6-3, 1-1-1 SBC) began a three-match road trip tonight with a 3-1 loss to the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers (10-0-2, 4-0-1 Big Ten) at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
The opening 17 minutes of the match were quiet on the offensive end for both sides, recording just one shot on goal by Indiana’s Nolan Kinsella in the 10th minute, forcing Wildcat goalkeeper Benjamin Rasmussen to make his first save of the night.
In the 18th minute, Agustin Lopez opened the game’s scoring with his second goal of the year with a beautiful left-footed shot just inside the 18-yard box, coming off an impressive cross from Eric Onos, giving Kentucky a 1-0 lead.
That one-goal advantage would continue into the halftime break for the Wildcats, marking the second consecutive game Kentucky has held a lead after the first 45 minutes.
Early in the second half, Rasmussen came up big once again with a pair of saves, first with a point-black stop to initially keep Hoosiers’ leading scorer Oliver Moller-Jensen off the scoresheet. The second came off an Indiana free kick and an attempt from Nick McHenry from just outside the penalty area, forcing the freshman goalkeeper to dive to his left and push the ball wide, keeping the Wildcats in front.
Less than 10 minutes later, the Hoosiers were awarded a penalty in the 60th minute due to a handball inside the box from forward Thomas Nielsen. The kick from the penalty spot from Moller-Jensen sent Rasmussen the wrong way and leveled the score at 1-1.
Indiana went on to take the lead in the 72nd minute with a second goal from Moller-Jensen to make it 2-1 with less than 20 minutes remaining. The Hoosiers tacked on a third goal in the 75th minute and all but seal their 10th victory of the season.
The Wildcats were unable to create another goal scoring opportunity in the final 15 minutes of play, resulting in a 3-1 defeat in Bloomington.
Rasmussen featured as the main bright spot for Kentucky tonight, ending the night with eight saves, five of which came in the second half. Senior defender Sinan Solmaz made his return to the field for the first time this season due to injury, logging 34 minutes.
The Wildcats will continue their road trip on Saturday, Oct. 10 against the No. 9 South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C. at 7 p.m. ET.
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