One year ago, Kentucky men’s soccer fell short and lost to Wisconsin on the road.
Falling 1-0, the loss was the first for the Wildcats in the regular season since 2021 and ultimately ended up being an omen of what was to come.
In that match, Wisconsin scored within the first two minutes of the game, sending a ball past goalkeeper Casper Mols, who will also be starter in this Friday’s game.
Mols, to his credit, has shown incredible growth through last season and seems prepared to come back this year with a chip on his shoulder.
Another player looking to redeem a struggling performance against the badgers is veteran Martin Soereide. While Soereide’s struggles in Madison were understandable with it being his first game back from injury since his traumatic leg break in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, the Norwegian native is back for one more season and is poised to right the wrongs of a season ago.
Last season, Wisconsin got its lone goal courtesy of Mitchell Dryden, who is not on Wisconsin’s roster for the 2024 season.
Instead, Wisconsin has new freshman Dean Boltz, who has acquired seventeen points and seven goals while also being named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Best XI Freshman Team.
Wisconsin isn’t the only squad to have plenty of turnover, however, as the Cats had significant roster changes since the last match including the addition of new forward Nick Zielonka, who has shown promising skills since scoring in the Labor day game against Virginia Tech.
With The Bell ready for a big-time college soccer showcase, No. 16 Kentucky will play the No. 10 Badgers on Friday with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. The contest will air live on ESPN+.
