Kentucky men’s lacrosse (1-4) picked up its first win of the season over Kennesaw State (0-2) by a score of 18-10 at Henry Clay High School on a snowy and slushy afternoon.

“It’s good to get our first W (win) of the season, it’s been a long time coming,” Kentucky Head Coach Taylor McCoun said. “Just good momentum heading into Raleigh next weekend.”

The snowy weather did not deter either Kentucky or Kennesaw State as both teams were pumped up and ready to go in the messy conditions.

The Wildcats exploded out of the gates, posting a 6-1 first quarter lead. Freshman midfielder Wood Pierre, in his first official start for Kentucky, led the way with two goals. Short stick defensive midfielder Ty Koerbel, midfielder Sammy Hamilton, midfielder Peter Johnson and attacker Felix Williams added scores.

Kentucky continued the onslaught in the second quarter. The Owls scored first, but the Wildcats responded loudly with a 6-4 run. Wil Guzaldo scored a hat trick in the quarter, while Pierre notched his hat trick as well. Long stick midfielder Chandler Newton and midfielder Evan Rachmiel were also credited with goals, ending a dominant first half for the Wildcats with the score 12-5.

“A ton of credit to those guys. Pierre made a lot of things happen. Guz is Guz [Guzaldo] when he plays well and Peter picked up too,” McCoun said. 

After halftime, Kennesaw State attempted a comeback. The Owls outscored Kentucky in the quarter 3-1, with goals from defender Adam Piejak, midfielder Adam Greenblatt and attacker Evan Suh earning his second goal of the game.

Despite the momentum shift, it was too late for the Owls. Kentucky dominated the fourth quarter, going on a 5-2 run. Johnson scored his fourth goal in the game, making him the third player on the Wildcats to score three or more goals.

Williams scored his second goal of the game along with attacker Mikey Ancona, who closed the Wildcat scoring. 

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Wildcats celebrated their first win of the season, sliding through the snow and creating a team dogpile.  

“We just gotta keep riding the wave of momentum and stay disciplined against these ranked teams,” McCoun said.

Kentucky will travel to the Carolinas next week to take on Clemson on Saturday, Feb. 22, and NC State on Sunday, Feb. 23.