No. 15 Kentucky’s hopes for a second consecutive Conference USA Championship ended on Friday with a 1-0 loss to No. 13 Marshall in the tournament’s semifinal round at ODU Soccer Complex.
With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 12-4-3 (4-2-1 C-USA). The top-seeded Thundering Herd advance to Sunday’s final for a matchup with No. 17 Charlotte, the competition’s No. 2 seed, on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Friday’s match mirrored the teams’ first meeting just 12 days prior in Huntington, West Virginia, where the Wildcats fell to the Herd by the same score in the regular season. Despite leading the shot count in both matches, Kentucky was held scoreless for just the third and fourth times on the season.
Second-team All-C-USA forward Daniel Evans anchored the UK offensive attack with three shots on Friday, followed closely by two tries each from Bailey Rouse and Jason Reyes. Rouse recorded the Cats’ only attempt on target of the evening, while goalkeeper Enrique Facusse chronicled three saves on the night.
Despite not capturing an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA Tournament, Kentucky’s hopes for an at-large berth are still alive with its No. 20 RPI ranking. The NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee will announce the full 48-team field on Monday at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s soccer team, follow @UKMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
‑ GO CATS –
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Connor Link
