Kentucky men’s lacrosse was throttled in its 2025 home opener against Indiana by a score of 15-6.

Indiana midfielder George Hahn wasted no time in scoring the first goal of the game. Kentucky midfielder Peter Johnson returned the favor to tie the game at 1-1 with his fifth goal of the season.

Indiana took back the lead with two goals, one from attacker Colin Callahan and the other from long stick midfielder (LSM) Zach Stopher to go up 3-1.

After a quick Kentucky timeout and the sun breaking apart from the clouds, the Wildcats began a comeback attempt. Attacker Wil Guzaldo, LSM Chandler Newton and Johnson all scored goals to give the Cats a 4-3 lead heading into the second quarter. 

“After 4-3, our energy wasn’t where it needed to be. We had a lot of ups and downs, and we let it rattle us. It’s something we know we can fix from within,” Goalkeeper and Co-President of the UK Lacrosse Board Bryce Moad said. “We truly believe we are a much better team than what we put on the field today.” 

As the second quarter began, Kentucky’s newfound luck faded quickly. The Hoosiers scored five unanswered goals from Stopher with his second, attacker Trey Carter, attacker Nate Hoffman and midfielder Ryan Sturham, who scored two as well. Going into the half, Indiana had completely turned the game around with an 8-4 lead. 

It only got worse for the Wildcats in the second half, which lead to a change at goalie, but it did not make a difference. The defense continued to struggle as four more goals were scored by the Hoosiers. Three of the goals were scored by attacker Jake Campbell. By the fourth quarter, it was 12-4 IU and all but over for UK. 

The Hoosiers scored three more goals to Kentucky’s one to close out the scoring.

“I think we just got complacent, and this is two games in a row that we’ve failed the last five minutes of the second quarter, and tomorrow we just can’t let that happen,” Head Coach Taylor McCoun said. 

Kentucky men’s lacrosse will look to win its first game of the season against Purdue at noon on Sunday, Feb. 9, at Competitive Sports Field.