The No. 2 Kentucky men’s soccer team (9-0-5, 3-0-3 Sun Belt) made history with the first win of the Johan Cedergren era at Indiana (7-2-4, 3-1-3 Big Ten) and first win on Hoosier turf since 1995. The Wildcats were victorious at Bill Armstrong Stadium with a 3-0 final score.
Kentucky’s victory turned the tables as the last matchup between the two programs resulted in a 0-3 UK loss in Bloomington in the 2019 NCAA tournament. The longtime rivals now hold a 3-20-4 all-time series record with the two previous wins taking place in 1995 and 2018.
The Wildcats and Hoosiers began the match with back and forth play before Indiana began to move forward toward the UK box. However, senior Luis Grassow made an impressive save with his head to knock the ball out in the early minutes of the first third. Keeper Casper Mols then saved the Indiana shot from a corner kick to deny the Hoosiers’ first goal attempt.
Later in the 28th minute, senior Eythor Bjorgolfsson found his golden opportunity to score the first Wildcat Goal of the match. He pressed forward and shot the ball in close to the goal from his right foot after sophomore Casper Grening successfully crossed the ball from his left.
Kentucky and Indiana entered the halftime period with four shots recorded to IU’s three. The scoreboard read 1-0, UK.
As the second half of regulation began, Kentucky found itself being tested on defense as Indiana kept the ball in Kentucky territory. A yellow card on fifth-year senior Lucca Rodrigues opened a Hoosier opportunity to score from a penalty kick. However, that PK was denied by Kentucky.
The Cats continued its press froward to the Hoosier net with senior Nick Gutmann finding his first goal of the match in the 64th minute with the assist credited to junior Enzo Mauriz. The score was his fifth of the season and Mauriz’s fourth assist. Gutmann’s efforts bumped the score up, 2-0.
It did not take long for Kentucky to go up three-nil as Grening shot the ball into the back of the net off assists by Bjorgolfsson and Ben Damge. The trio made the goal happen in the 67th minute.
Kentucky is one of three NCAA Division I men’s soccer programs still undefeated in the nation. UK is joined by Washington and Duke on the list. The Wildcats continue to chase its unbeaten streak of 15 straight matchups in the 2021 season.
Kentucky will return to The Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex on Friday for Senior Night and a 7 p.m. EST matchup against Old Dominion University.
For the latest on Kentucky Men’s Soccer, follow @UKMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
‑ GO CATS –
For more information contact:
Allyson Warren
