Kentucky men’s club lacrosse began its season in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday, splitting a doubleheader against both Purdue and Indiana.
Wasting no time in game one against Indiana, Kentucky came out strong with senior Ben Thomas scoring a goal just under one minute into play.
Both teams scored three goals in the first quarter and two each in the second to go into half tied 5-5.
Following the half, the Cats scored three goals, taking the lead. The third quarter concluded with a score of 8-5 in favor of Kentucky.
Early on in the fourth the Cats scored, but it was followed by three goals for Indiana, which still allowed Kentucky to end the game with a 9-8 victory.
The Wildcats then began their second game of the day, facing Purdue.
The Cats came into game two looking strong, but the momentum would begin to shift when Purdue scored two goals back-to-back.
Kentucky held its ground in the second quarter, not letting in any goals to bring it to a 2-1 score going into half.
Failing to score the rest of the game, the Cats focused on strong defense but were unable to stifle the Boilermakers and ultimately fell to Purdue.
Heading into the final quarter, the Cats were down 6-2, holding their ground and not allowing any goals in the fourth en route to their first defeat of the season.
With the results the Cats will return home on Saturday, Feb. 17, in a triple-header against Western Kentucky, Bowling Green and Akron. The event will serve as Kentucky’s home opener for the season.